The Awakening
by animechick999
Summary: All traces of bending and the avatar disappeared thousands of years ago, but now benders have returned, and some of them with dark intentions. Will Kaiba accept his destiny as the new avatar and help save a princess on the run, or will he get caught up in her burdens as well? Is Kaiba brave enough to learn all four elements to save the world? Avatar & YGO crossover.
1. News

**A/N:** Hey everybody! So, I've been watching Avatar: The Last Airbender lately, and I absolutely LOVE it! Since I love crossovers so much, I thought that an Avatar/Yu-Gi-Oh crossover was necessary haha. This story takes place in modern day and is post-series Yu-Gi-Oh (after the events of Atem). So, without any more of my blabbing, please enjoy!

**I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH! OR AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER!**

Book 1: Water

Chapter 1- News

* * *

It had been thousands of years since the last time the Avatar had walked the earth. The four nations have ceased to exist, their landmasses coming together, forming modern-day earth. New governments and new people scatter the world and Benders of all types are virtually extinct. The Avatar is gone while the world faces a new foe...

* * *

'Today marks the first day that North America and South America have become one continent and one country! The world leaders from North, Central and South America have been in a large assembly meeting for the past nine months, trying to decide what to do with the "One America" plan, first purposed back in January by President Kelvin Bloodworth of the United States. Now, the plan seems to be solved as the entire Western Hemisphere has been transformed into one country. The world leaders have decided to call their country: America. With the Western Hemisphere becoming one, issues such as, travel, oil, currency, food and government have been resolved. Law issues have also been resolved and the new laws will be set into motion for America tomorrow.

Assemblies for world leaders seem to be happening for Europe and Asia as well. Talk about the same formation as America may happen for Europe and Asia, and it seems as though progress is going quite well. No news on whether or not world leaders from Africa want to join in on the formation, and the Prime Minister of Australia, Beau Windsor, has not made any contact at this time.'

Solomon Muto clicked off the television set while shaking his head and sighing. Things were changing more and more everyday. When Solomon first heard about the President of the United States plan, he knew it was a bad idea; he had a strong gut feeling about it. Now it was going to affect his country, but more importantly the future of his grandson, Yugi.

"Hey, why'd you turn that off Gramps?" A strong, Brooklyn accent asked.

Solomon looked at the young blonde that was Joey Wheeler, Yugi's best friend. He sighed and spoke, "Because it's complete garbage, Joey."

"What do you mean, Grandpa?" Yugi asked innocently. Both Yugi and Joey were sitting on the sofa in the living room, wide-eyed and confused by the old man's sudden action of switching off the television.

Solomon walked over to the teens and took a seat in-between them, "Look boys, ever since this whole thing started I've had a bad feeling about it."

"What!?" Joey exasperated, "This is good news. The world is finally becoming a better place."

Yugi piped in, "Joey's right, Grandpa. The world leaders are deciding to come together in peace. Peace is a good thing."

Solomon sighed, "Well I suppose so…. But, not when peace is backed by power."

The teens were silent, staring intently at the old man sitting in-between them, waiting for him to explain himself. Solomon knew that they were expecting an answer; he would gladly give it, if he had one. The only explanation he had was his instincts. Even instinct wouldn't be enough to convince them.

Slowly rising from the sofa, his old bones cracking, Solomon began to walk towards the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Joey questioned.

Solomon turned around and smiled, "I'm going to make a cup of tea, would you boys like some?"

Yugi smiled beamingly up at his grandfather, "Sure, thanks Grandpa."

The old man nodded and slowly left the room.

When Joey was sure that Mr. Muto was out of earshot he turned to Yugi. "No offense Yug, but I think your Grandpa's losing it."

Yugi thought for a moment. Joey had a good point. His grandpa was acting strange lately. Ever since he had first heard about the world nations forming together his grandfather would become angry or upset at any new news, almost as if he knew something that everyone else didn't. However, every time the subject was brought up, Solomon would not give any answer to his assumptions or actions. Yugi was confused by this, but for some reason he felt as though his grandpa was right, even if his grumblings were just assumptions.

_Peace backed by power_. There was something about his grandfather's phrase that made sense. World leaders, obviously the most powerful and influential people in the world, coming together to make one nation for peace? How could peace be obtained when there were so many powerful people involved? Someone would eventually want to rule the majority. The only question that remained was _who_ would rule and by what _means_ would they get there? This thought made Yugi shiver.

"Joey, I think…." Yugi paused. He wanted to say he agreed with his grandpa, however, this wasn't a subject he felt like talking about anymore. Regardless of what happened to the countries, it was out of his control now. Atem was gone, they had sent him to the afterlife, and now Yugi's work of 'saving the world' was done. He didn't need to worry about these kinds of things anymore, especially not pointless politics. "I think we should call Tristan and Tea. They said they'd be here a half-hour ago."

Joey's eyes widened, "You're right! Where are those morons?"

"Right here you jerk," a voice from behind them said.

Joey and Yugi turned in their seats to see Tristan and Tea standing in the doorway.

"Hey! Who are you calling a jerk, Tristan!?" Joey barked at his friend while pointing his figure at him.

"Hey," Yugi said, "What took you guys so long?"

"Traffic," Tea replied. She gave Yugi a sweet smile that made the short teen blush.

"Ah!" Solomon walked out into the living room with a tray full of cups and a steaming teapot, "You two are just in time for tea!"

* * *

Constantly glancing at the clock was making Seto Kaiba anxious. It was 10:57 in the morning, but Kaiba wished it were later. He wanted to go home and sleep all day. He'd been up for two days straight due to nightmares. No matter how hard he tried, he just could not fall back to sleep after the dreams. He'd tried sleep medications and relaxers, but nothing seemed to work.

Kaiba painfully typed away at his laptop as he took a sip of his warm coffee. Work at Kaiba Corporation was going to be excruciating today. As CEO of KaibaCorp., Kaiba had to be present at a few meetings this afternoon. The meetings would last until about five o'clock. Kaiba didn't know if he could make it that long, his throbbing headache and fatigue was catching up to him, not to mention the horrible people he would be meeting with later. The board members were boring and self-centered, and Kaiba didn't feel like dealing with that today. He didn't feel like dealing with _anything _today. Sleep was his main concern.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. The intercom on Kaiba's desk buzzed as Roland, Kaiba's right-hand man and personal business advisor, appeared on a small video screen next to the intercom.

"Mister Kaiba, a Miss Ishizu Ishtar is here to speak to you. She says that it's important."

Kaiba pressed the intercom button to talk, "Is it for personal matters?"

Roland nodded, "Yes it is, Mister Kaiba. Miss Ishtar claims that it's urgent and she needs to see you right away."

A stern frown crossed the brunette's face. As a CEO of one of the most popular and powerful gaming corporations in the world Kaiba didn't have time for personal problems, especially not when he was running on no sleep for two days. "Tell Ishizu that I don't have time for her nonsense and to leave me alone, _forever_," Kaiba grumbled.

"Yes, of course sir," Roland said.

"And one more thing, Roland," Kaiba said before Roland could disconnect the call, "I don't want anymore calls today. Send everyone away who comes to see me."

"Yes, sir," Roland replied, his arm reached out across the screen to disconnect the call.

"I'm not done yet." Kaiba spoke sternly, "Have an assistant bring me another cup of coffee."

Roland nodded, "Yes, Mister Kaiba, is that all?"

Kaiba nodded back, "For now." He clicked off his intercom, the video screen went black, and Kaiba sighed as he sunk into his office chair. He wanted to sleep. He wanted to sleep _badly_, but worry was creeping its way into Kaiba's mind. What if those bizarre nightmares hit him once he fell asleep? What if the nightmares persisted, what would he do? What if he could never sleep again?

Kaiba quickly retrieved control over his thoughts, realizing how stupid he was being. They were just dreams, they couldn't harm him, and certainly Kaiba wouldn't let them control him. However, recalling the dreams, they were unlike anything he'd ever had before. They were vivid, dark, and just downright horrifying. Every night they were almost the same; Kaiba would be walking alone at night, then suddenly he'd hear a voice and his body would freeze. The voice would always come from behind him but Kaiba could never turn around and move to see whom the person was. His body always froze, but that wasn't even the worst part. Moments after Kaiba was frozen, his body began to move on its own, like his limbs had a mind of their own. The voice would say one thing every time, right before Kaiba's hands grasped his own neck…. _Die_….

Kaiba shuddered, remembering the creepy events of his awful dreams. After the voice would tell him to die Kaiba's own hands would ultimately choke him to death. That's when he woke up every night, terrified. Kaiba wished he knew what his dreams meant.

A knock on his office door brought the young CEO out of his musings, "Come in," he said flatly.

The door opened but Kaiba didn't look up to see who it was, he knew it was just the assistant bringing him his coffee. He continued to tap away on his keyboard, paying no attention to the other person in the room. Slowly, the assistant made their way over to Kaiba's desk and set down the coffee cup with a fluent, graceful motion.

Kaiba continued to type, not looking up from his work. He could feel the assistant still standing there, almost as if they were waiting for a thank you or something. They should know him better than that. Seto Kaiba never thanked anyone.

"You can leave now," Kaiba said rudely. He still did not look up.

"Is that how you greet your guests, Kaiba?"

At this, Kaiba looked up to see the face that matched the familiar voice. Ishizu Ishtar stood over him. The last time Kaiba saw Ishizu was in Egypt when Yugi dueled Atem, nothing had changed only Ishizu's long, straight black hair was pulled up into a modest ponytail.

"I thought I told you I didn't want to see you," Kaiba said harshly as he crossed his arms angrily over his chest.

"You should know by now that I don't take orders from you, Kaiba." Ishizu countered.

Kaiba scowled at her, "What do you want, Ishizu, and make it quick, I don't have time for your fantasy bullshit today."

The Egyptian woman sighed heavily, "How many times do I have to tell you that what I speak is the truth?" Ishizu shook her head before continuing, "Look, Kaiba, I know that you've been suffering from nightmares, I can see it on your face, you haven't slept for days."

"Yeah? Your point?" Kaiba was annoyed, he didn't have time to deal with this woman, and the last thing he wanted to do was talk about those weird dreams.

"Your dreams may be a sign of what may come in the future?"

Kaiba laughed loudly, "Whatever, Ishizu."

Ishizu glared at him, "Believe what you wish, Kaiba, but dreams can tell us more than we could've ever imagined."

"So?" Kaiba mocked.

"_So_," Ishizu mocked back, "I didn't come here to argue you, I came here to ask you if you've ever heard of elemental bending."

"What?"

"Elemental bending, when a person can bend the elements: water, earth, fire, and air. Have you heard of this?"

Kaiba's mocking tone turned into a deep, stern one, "Look, Ishizu, I don't have time for your bullshit, so I suggest you leave before I call a psych ward to come a get you."

"Kaiba, I know this sounds absurd but I have a point to this!" Ishizu raised her voice, the look on her face was almost pleading with him. "I have something," Ishizu began digging into her brown satchel that she had brought with her, "my team of archeologists recently discovered ancient scrolls just outside of Cairo. These scrolls seem to have information on civilizations that I've never even heard about. It seems as though we've discovered an entirely new historical period!"

"Great," Kaiba stated sarcastically.

Ishizu ignored him and continued, "I have not been able to decipher the entirety of the scrolls yet, but I have found something that will shock you, Kaiba."

Kaiba rolled his eyes, still speaking with thick sarcasm, "Here we go again…"

Ishizu dug deeper into her bag until finally pulling out a small scroll, unraveling it to show Kaiba. The scroll contained some early form of Asian writing with a small symbol that resembled swirling water on the bottom right-hand corner.

"This is an ancient document from a city that practiced one of the four elemental bending. The people were water benders from a tribe known as the Northern Water Tribe and they eventually established their own city on the coast of North America. This city was never officially documented due to the disappearance of its water bending people."

Kaiba bore his eyes into her angrily. He wanted nothing more than to kick Ishizu and her nonsense out of his office.

Ishizu could sense Kaiba's tension and decided to get to the point, "The city was named after the peoples prophetic water bending successor, Seto."

"What?"

"The city was named Seto."

Kaiba laughed, "You actually think that out of all of the Seto's out there that _I'm_ the one that stupid scroll is referring to? You've lost it Ishizu…"

The Egyptian woman dug out another scroll from her bag and unraveled it to show to Kaiba, "This scroll is from another ancient city around the same time that the city of Seto was founded. This city was created by air bending nomads and was also dedicated to their prophetic successor, Yugi."

"What?" The slightest shiver made its way down Kaiba's back. Ishizu was lying, this couldn't be right. Two ancient cities, founded around the same time, named after a futuristic Seto and Yugi? It sounded completely crazy!

Ishizu could tell by the look in his eye that Kaiba was a bit unnerved, "I told you you'd be shocked."

Kaiba didn't say anything. He just glared at her, pissed at the fact that she had to unload all of this information on him.

Ishizu placed the scrolls back into her bag, "There is still more research to be done, however, the scrolls indicate that the prophecies would be fulfilled by this year."

"What does _that _mean?" Kaiba demanded.

Ishizu began to make her way towards the exit. She turned the knob and slowly opened the door, "That you may become a water bender by the end of this year. I presume you'll find out soon, it is November after all." Before she completely shut the door behind her she left Kaiba with one last comment, "Consider this a warning, Kaiba, for you may experience a new way of life very soon." With that, Kaiba's office door shut. Leaving Kaiba alone to think about everything that had just happened.

Pulling up a search engine on his computer, Kaiba began frantically searching everything that Ishizu had told him. She was right. There was no information on any of the ancient cities. However, Kaiba found just one website that had the slightest information on elemental bending. According to the website, elemental bending was literally bending the elements to a persons will using trained moves.

Kaiba leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples in frustration. He was so tired, and now all of _this_ was happening. He just did not have the time, or the energy to deal with this in his life right now.

Grabbing his coffee cup and taking a sip, he was surprised that it was still hot. It seemed like forever ago that the substance was brought in. Setting the cup next to his computer and leaning forward to search more on bending, Kaiba found himself staring at the peculiar pictures of a person bending. The pictures were very old, but they looked like a martial arts form. The waving of arms and the stances differentiated depending on what element a person was bending. The water bending forms looked rather easy, most were just a few fluid motions with the arms. Kaiba lazily raised his left arm to match the picture on the screen and swiftly swished it upward.

There were very few moments in Seto Kaiba's life that his heart practically flew out of his chest. This was one of those few moments. Kaiba's jaw dropped as he stared at his levitating coffee as it rose out of the coffee cup. His arm still hanging above the hot liquid, Kaiba could not believe what he was seeing! He thought for sure he was hallucinating! He had to be! He had not slept in forty-eight hours! People are classified legally insane if they haven't slept for this long, _right_? It was just a dream; this all was just a dream. As Kaiba swung his arm down, the hot coffee spilt everywhere, seeping onto his lap and flooding his computer.

"OUCH!" Kaiba yelled as he felt the substance drench him, leaking through his clothes.

If this was all just a maddening dream, then why did it feel so real?

* * *

Serenity Wheeler tapped her foot nervously. She had been waiting for what seemed like an eternity for the results from her doctor. Sitting in a small, white doctors office room was getting to her, and Serenity could feel herself growing more and more anxious as the clock on the wall slowly ticked away. Impatiently running her fingers through her hair, Serenity wondered what her older brother, Joey, would think if the results came back positive. Would he be upset? Would he sympathize with her? Serenity didn't know.

Just when the thought of her brother hit her, the door opened. A middle-aged doctor with think rimmed glasses walked in and shut the door behind him. He was carrying a clipboard that looked flooded with papers. He flipped through a couple of them until he found the sheet he was looking for.

"So, Serenity…." The doctor began, "it seems that your test came back positive."

* * *

**A/N:** So? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Please, please, PLEASE let me know! I appreciate all types of feedback, especially feedback on the coffee bending, haha just kidding! Anyway, see you next time!


	2. Coming Together

**A/N:** Hey, welcome back! I hope all of you enjoyed the first chapter. Now, onto the second, enjoy! (P.S. I used Wikipedia. You've been warned.)

**I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH! OR AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER!**

Book 1: Water

Chapter 2- Coming Together

* * *

"It is a pleasure being in your presence President Valerie Von Brandt," an older, slender Asian man said as he bowed his head, "let me tell you, you are even more breath-taking in person as you are in pictures."

"Ah, flattery," the young woman flipped a strand of blonde hair over her shoulder, "As wonderful as that is, it will not get you too far with me."

The Asian man smirked, his eyes mischievously smiling at her, "I'm just simply fascinated by you. Beautiful, brilliant, and one of the world's most powerful leaders, all at the fragile age of nineteen. It's impressive."

The young president snickered disdainfully, her voice thickening up with sternness, "Don't make me repeat myself, Emperor Haru, flattery doesn't impress me." She stood from her office chair and walked over to the large window on the opposite side of the room. Her view of Germany was beautiful. The Bellevue Palace overlooked a gorgeous river and Valerie found herself just staring at the water flow from her office window whenever she felt stressed.

Valerie knew Emperor Haru was correct. She _was_ impressive. Valerie Von Brandt was the youngest president in German history, reshaping Germany's age of candidacy laws. However, that's not what made her impressive. What made Valerie Von Brandt so impressive was her heritage. She was the direct descendant of the Fire Lord of the once thriving Fire Nation. Unfortunately, the Fire Nation no longer existed, but Valerie would be sure to change that. Emperor Haru of Japan would be Valerie's final piece to Fire Nation success.

Grinning maliciously, Valerie turned around to face her guest. Her light brown eyes were callous and manipulating, "Let's get down to business, shall we?"

Emperor Haru's lips curled, "Absolutely."

Valerie waltzed gracefully over to her desk and opened the top drawer, "I hope you find this suitable," she handed the Japanese emperor a golden sheet of paper.

Unfolding the paper, Emperor Haru looked over its contents carefully, grinning when he discovered that it met his standards. "This will suffice." Folding the paper back up and placing it carefully into his back pocket, the Japanese Emperor sneered at the young woman in front of him, his eyes were daring and wide, "What would you like to know?"

The German President's beautiful features were bold and void of any hint emotion, "Everything," she stated simply.

"They're plotting against you."

The young woman laughed madly, "Please, Haru, tell me something I don't know." Within the blink of an eye Valerie's emotion changed and she became wicked, the volume of her voice sending shivers down the old mans back, "_Waste_ anymore of my time and you can be sure that _you_ will become _waste_!" Taking a piece of blonde hair and twisting it intriguingly around her index finger, her voice subdued and she maliciously smiled at the emperor, "Have I made myself clear?"

Emperor Haru swallowed hard and nodded.

"Good," Valerie said, "Now let's try this one more time, shall we?" She scowled at the man standing across from her, giving him a daring look, "Tell me _everything_!"

* * *

This couldn't be happening! This just _couldn't _be happening! Her worst fear had come true….

Serenity Wheeler let the tears stream down her face. She had been lying in her bed crying for hours. After her doctor's appointment early that day had gone sour on her, she had no motivation to do anything. The only thing that felt absolutely necessary was to cry. Cry, sob, wail, scream, all of those things felt needed as Serenity's worst fear had come true.

Serenity Wheeler was going blind.

Years earlier her older brother, Joey, had won prize money during a dueling tournament to pay for an operation to prevent her blindness. The operation had worked and Serenity thought that all of her vision problems were behind her. Unfortunately, her complications were not behind her.

About a month ago, Serenity had noticed dark spots in her vision and immediately had gone to the doctor about it. The doctor performed a few tests and about a month later the results were in. Serenity was going blind. The doctor told her that there was nothing they could do. The chances of a second operation being successful were slim considering the first operation apparently failed. It was only a matter of time before Serenity would go completely blind.

The worst part of this whole thing was Joey. He had learned how to duel for _her_, so he could save her vision. He'd worked so hard to win the prize money for her operation and now it was all for nothing. How was she going to break the news to him? Would he be mad? Would he be upset at her for losing her vision? Serenity was so afraid to tell him, but she had to before it was too late, and her eyesight was gone completely.

Slowly reaching for her cell phone that was on her nightstand, she dialed her brothers phone number and waited while it rang.

'_Hello_?' Joey's voice was pleasant, as usual. Serenity was saddened, knowing that she would ruin all pleasantness in her brother.

Gathering up all the vocal strength she could, she managed to speak, "Hey Joey…."

'_You don't sound so good, sis_,' Joey stated, a hint of concern crept its way into his voice, '_is something wrong_?'

It took every fiber of her being to not lie to him. Serenity wanted to just say 'no' and leave it at that, just to forget about this whole situation. However, Serenity _had_ to face this one way or another. She knew she needed to tell her brother straight up, even though it would be hard, even if she weren't ready to tell him, she knew she just had to. Serenity's voice came out sad and soft, "N-n-no Joey…. Everything is not okay," a few tears strayed from her eyes, "I went to the doctors and…. and they said I am…." She took a deep breath before she broke down completely, "I'm going blind, Joey."

The other line was silent. Time passed slowly, like watching paint dry. Both brother and sister were quiet, musing over what Serenity had said. Finally, after what felt like hours, Joey decided to speak, _'Where are you, Serenity?'_

Through small sobs Serenity replied, "At moms. She isn't home."

'_I'm coming over! I'll see you in twenty minutes!'_ Joey hung up the phone. Serenity could hear the urgency in her brother's voice and was thankful for him, but was weary of what he'd say to her when he arrived. Would he be mad? Would he have sympathy? Serenity didn't know….

* * *

"I've gotta go guys, I'll see you later!" Joey Wheeler said suddenly as he abruptly stood up and ran out of Yugi Muto's living room. Yugi, Tea, and Tristan were in shock as Joey bolted out of the home. None of them even had time to ask Joey where he was going. After a moment of shocked silence, the three friends gave each other a concerned look and sat up, running towards the front door to see if Joey was still present. Unfortunately, the fierce blonde was gone.

"What do you think happened?" Tristan asked.

"I think he got a call from Serenity," Yugi perceived, "She must've had bad news."

Tea's face fell as her deep blue eyes fell to the floor in unease, "Oh no…."

"What should we do?" Tristan questioned, there was extreme urgency in his voice. Even though Tristan would never admit it to Joey's face, he cared deeply for the Wheeler family. He was loyal to both Joey and Serenity, and cared greatly for their wellness.

"Give the young man some time," Solomon Muto entered the room, wisdom was evident on the elder man's face, "Joey will tell you guys what's wrong eventually."

"But what if he needs us!? We're his best friends!" Tristan hollered.

Solomon smiled softly, "Exactly, you are all his best friends, he'll come to you. Just give him some time."

"What can we do in the mean time?" Tea asked, sadness sliding into her voice.

Solomon disappeared from the room, leaving the three teenagers confused, giving quizzical glances towards each other. Moments later Solomon returned with a plate of snacks, he responded cheerily to Tea's question, "Eat!"

* * *

"Uh…. What!?" Mokuba Kaiba, the younger brother of popular CEO, Seto Kaiba, stood outside of his older brothers bedroom door in the Kaiba mansion. He was staring at Roland, Kaiba's right-hand man, with confusion and concern. The young boy's arms were folded over his chest and his gray eyes contained a look of determination that eerily resembled his older brother's. Mokuba was impatiently waiting for Roland to explain what had happened to Seto earlier that morning. After Mokuba had gotten home from school, Roland mentioned that Kaiba was feeling ill and came home from work early. Mokuba had bolted up the stairs to check on his brother when Roland blocked the doorway before the younger Kaiba could burst through. Mokuba knew better than to just think that Seto was 'sick.' Even if Seto was sick he would tough it through work. Mokuba knew his brother better than anyone, so who was Roland fooling? _Not_ Mokuba Kaiba that's for sure….

"As I was saying, Mr. Kaiba told me to cancel his meetings for the rest of the day. He said he was going crazy from a lack of sleep and insisted to be brought home immediately. I asked him if he was feeling ill and he replied with a simple, 'yes.' I am telling you the truth, Mokuba, Mr. Kaiba does not want to be disturbed."

Mokuba sighed heavily, attitude and anger flared up within the young teen, "Look, Roland, I know you're trying to protect Seto, but you and I both know that there is more to this than Seto just being ill. Now, tell me, what's wrong with him!?"

"I-I can't-"

The raven-haired teen interrupted Roland quickly and with fury, "Why not Roland!?"

The man was silent. He didn't know what to say or do.

"Fine, if you're not going to tell me I'll just find out myself!" Mokuba tried pushing past Roland, however, the older man was able to keep Mokuba from reaching the door.

"Stop it, Roland! I need to see him!"

"Mr. Kaiba has given me important orders to have _no one_ disturb him!"

"Those rules don't apply to me, I'm his brother!"

"I'm only following orders, Mokuba!"

"Screw his orders! I am his brother and I can see him whenever I want! We are _family_!"

"I'm sorry, Mokuba, I can't let you see him! You'll need to check up on him when he's not sleeping!"

"I need to see what's wrong with him!" Mokuba cried. As the two fought for control, the volumes of their voices were rising, causing a disturbance on the other side of the door.

"You cannot disturb him!" Roland yelled back, pushing Mokuba away.

"Roland!" Mokuba shouted.

The door finally swung open, Mokuba and Roland both froze, neither one responsible for opening the door. Their eyes met a pair of tired, cold, blue eyes that glared at the two of them in annoyance.

An exasperated sigh escaped from Kaiba as he spoke, "Well, I'm disturbed." He looked down at his younger brother, yawning slightly before speaking, "What do you want, Mokuba?"

Roland and Mokuba quickly shuffled out of their little fight and straightened up. Mokuba was relieved to see his brother and asked, "Are you alright, Seto? Roland told me you were sick."

Kaiba sighed heavily again and responded sarcastically, "I know…. I heard."

Mokuba looked down, "I'm sorry we woke you, Seto, I was just worried. Leaving Kaiba Corp. for being sick just isn't like you. That's why I freaked out."

Kaiba observed Mokuba, noticing the worry on his brother's face, "Come with me," Kaiba lead his brother into his bedroom.

Mokuba followed, shutting the door behind him and sitting down next to Kaiba on the end of the bed. "What's the matter, Seto? Are you really sick?"

Kaiba shook his head, "I don't know, Mokuba…." Kaiba was hesitant to tell his brother of the events that took place earlier that day. Would Mokuba think he was delusional? Kaiba sure as hell thought he'd lost it, so surely Mokuba would too, right? Kaiba didn't know. He'd thought that all he needed was sleep, but even with the few hours of sleep he'd just received those strange dreams were still there, even more intense than ever now. Kaiba didn't understand why all of this was happening, but maybe all he needed to do was talk to someone about it. Clearly Mokuba was concerned and Kaiba knew he could rely on his only family member.

Taking a deep breath Kaiba began, "I don't know if you've noticed, but over the past week I've been pretty fatigued."

"Yeah, I thought it was just stress and lack of sleep from work?"

"Well, yes, but the majority of it has been from nightmares."

"Nightmares?" Mokuba examined his brother closely. Seto was sitting hunched over, not in his usual straight and strong posture, and now that Seto had mentioned the nightmares Mokuba could see how they were wearing on him.

"Every night," Kaiba said, his voice seemed to contain a hint of anxiety and grief. "These nightmares are the same every night. A person walks up behind me, I never see them, and they somehow take control of my body. My hands begin choking me and I can't stop it, then the voice tells me to die…."

"That sounds terrible. Why do you think this is happening?" Mokuba asked, "I mean, you aren't one to freak out about a stupid dream, there's gotta be something more to it."

Kaiba deeply exhaled, "As much as I hate to admit it, I think you're right Mokuba."

Mokuba sympathetically frowned, "Then what do you think this all means?"

"Ishizu came by my office this morning…."

Mokuba seemed surprised, "Ishtar? The last time we saw her was when the pharaoh left. Why would she visit you?"

Kaiba gave his brother a firm look, "I can guarantee you one thing, _I _didn't invite her over. She somehow found her way in and began explaining mythical bullshit to me. Obviously, it's completely ridiculous, but when she left I began searching what she told me about."

Mokuba was quick to ask questions, "Wait, is there more about ancient Egypt that goes beyond the pharaoh that we didn't know about?"

Kaiba shook his head, "No, Ishizu didn't tell me anything about Egypt, however, she did tell me about two ancient cities. However, my own search came up with no results on the cities, but…"

Mokuba tilted his head, "But what, Seto?"

Kaiba's eyes locked with Mokuba's and encompassed a harsh look of confusion and pain. Mokuba suddenly saw how jumbled and frustrated his brother truly was. Mokuba rarely saw his brother look like this, even after everything they'd been through, Seto was hardly ever this mentally broken. Compassion flooded the young Kaiba as he gave his brother a kind and gentle look, encouraging Seto to continue.

"You're never going to believe me when I tell you this, Mokuba, I can hardly believe it myself. This is going to sound insane, but…." Kaiba inhaled sharply, barely believing he was about to say this, "I think I'm a water bender."

* * *

"I hate waiting like this," Tea began, "I wish we had an idea if Joey is okay or not."

Yugi looked at Tea with sympathetic eyes, "Me too, Tea…."

"Think we should call?" Tristan asked. He was lying on Yugi's living room sofa looking through a deck of Duel Monster cards.

Yugi and Tea were sitting on the floor next to the coffee table, shuffling through television channels. Neither one responded, remembering what Yugi's grandfather had told them earlier. Joey would come to them eventually, _right_?

"Hey!" Yugi shouted, "Go back to that channel Tea!"

Tea quickly tapped on the television remote, "This channel?"

Yugi nodded.

Tristan looked away from the deck of cards to take a peek at the television screen. "The news? Why would you wanna watch the news, Yugi?"

"_Shhhhhh_! Be quiet! I'm trying to listen!" Yugi shushed him.

'_Breaking news! It seems as though the 'One America' plan has spread globally, and within a matter of hours! Our report from the United Nations Organization has confirmed that Asia and Europe have come together, just as North, Central, and South America have. This news became official when Japanese emperor, Emperor Haru, agreed to the union. According to sources, he was the last world leader to have to agree to make the union legitimate. So, it is official, Asia and Europe have now become one nation. There is no news yet regarding the name of our new nation or its new laws. _

_As for the state of Japan, it seems as though things will not be organized officially for at least a month or so. However, world leaders are telling everyone to be prepared for the new changes. Essentially, this union is a boost for Japan's economy and way of life, along with every other country that is part of the Asia/European union. Stay tuned for more news about our new nation.'_

Silence filled the room as the three teenagers were in shock of the news that they had just heard. Disbelief occupied their minds as they digested the information that they were not citizens of Japan anymore. They were inhabitants of a new country that they didn't even know the name of!

"I can't believe this," Yugi spoke with a stunned voice. It had only been this morning that he had found out about the entire western hemisphere becoming one large country. _That_ shocked him, but now _this_! His own country, his _home_! It didn't feel like his home any longer, and it only took a matter of hours to change that.

The world was coming together. He should be happy, right? He was happy for America this morning, but now he just felt worried. Now he was in the same predicament as the people in the western hemisphere were. It only took a matter of hours for this to happen and now Yugi fretted the future. How was his life going to change now?

"This may be weird to say, considering we all knew that this could eventually happen, but now that it has…." Tea paused, her eyes fixed on the floor, "I just feel completely scared, like this whole thing was a bad idea…."

"I think that the world leaders jumped into this too soon," Tristan began as he voiced his opinion, "I mean, America took months of preparation, but our stupid emperor had to rush into it! It's just dumb."

"They had been planning this for our country as well," Yugi stated, "I just didn't think it would be this soon." Yugi's eyes fell onto the girl sitting next to him, "I agree, Tea, I don't have a good feeling about this either."

From the other room, Solomon Muto was eavesdropping on the conversation. He'd heard the news and knew it was trouble from the start. Quickly heading to the telephone on the wall, Solomon dialed the number of a close friend.

After a couple rings the phone was answered, '_Solomon, you heard the news_.' The voice on the other line was urgent and determined, not even questioning who was calling.

"Yes," Solomon's voice was low as to not cause a disturbance that might catch the attention of his grandson. "This is it. They're coming."

'_Yes, the four nations are returning. They are preparing for the return of the-_'

"Shhhh," Solomon whispered, "You don't need to say it. I don't want any suspicions, someone else could be listening."

'_We need to speak in person_.'

"Agreed, it's too dangerous to be communicating this way, especially now."

'_Yes_,' the voice on the other end sounded gloomy, '_I'm afraid our time is limited. We need to speak in person as soon as possible._'

"Absolutely," Solomon said, "How fast can you get to Japan?"

'_I should be able to leave Cairo by tomorrow_.'

"I will pick you up from Domino City airport. Call me before you land."

'_Of course, thank you my old friend_,' the voice was sincere.

"You're welcome. Tomorrow."

'_Tomorrow_.' The line went dead.

Solomon hung up the phone and leaned against the wall, letting out a disturbed sigh. He knew this was it. The moment the world had been waiting for. Preparation of over a thousand years was about to finally be complete.

* * *

**A/N:** OMG! That was a fun chapter to write! So, are you all confused yet? Tell me what you think! Reviews are like Christmas presents! Thanks!


	3. The Symbol

**A/N: **Enjoy!

**I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH! OR AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER!**

Book 1: Water

Chapter 3- The Symbol

* * *

"Joey? What're you doing here?"

Joey Wheeler sprang up on his mother's living room sofa. After Serenity had told him the bad news, Joey had insisted he'd stay at his mother's house for a while. Serenity told him that it was a bad idea if their father found out, but Joey told her not to worry and that he'd take care of whatever outburst his father would bring. The Wheeler's were divorced and Serenity stayed with their mother while Joey stayed with their alcoholic father. Hopefully, their dad would be too drunk to even notice Joey's absence for a few days.

Joey's mother set down her car keys and purse on the kitchen counter and walked into the living room where Joey was. It was three in the morning and Mrs. Wheeler had just gotten done with work. She was an evening nurse at Domino City Hospital, so Serenity was left alone most nights. Even though Serenity was safe, this always made Joey worry, and he wasn't about to leave her home alone in her current condition.

"Hi mom," Joey said tiredly. He wasn't sleeping when his mother came home. He'd been up all night thinking about what Serenity had told him. She was going blind. After everything that she went through, her operation that he'd worked so hard to get for her, she was_ still _going blind. It was an insane concept that Joey was still digesting. His little sister was inevitably going blind. Soon she would never be able to see her brother's face again. This thought disturbed him and sent chilling spikes of fear and sorrow up his spine.

"Why are you here?" His mother asked as she sat down next to her son and gently rubbed his back.

Joey glanced at her with painful eyes, "I'm here for Serenity."

Pain struck Mrs. Wheeler's face and her eyes sunk as she spoke, "She told you, huh? She called and told me when I was at work. I feel bad I couldn't be here earlier for her. Thank you for being her moral support."

Joey just nodded. He didn't know what to say; all he could do was recall the events of earlier that day. Serenity had been curled up on her bed, crying her eyes out, when Joey had arrived. His heart crumbled the moment he saw her. She was so broken, and Joey couldn't do anything about it. He had comforted her all night until she fell asleep. Now, here he was, wide awake, angry, and disturbed by how cruel this world could be.

"I can take care of Serenity, you know," Mrs. Wheeler explained, "You don't have to stay here, especially if it will upset your father."

"I don't give a damn about that drunken prick," Joey quietly said, a hint of rage was evident in his voice.

"Come now Joey, he is your father," Mrs. Wheeler scolded.

Joey grunted, heated sarcasm lacing every word, "Yeah, some father." The mockery faded as he spoke boldly and determined, "Besides, I'm staying here. Serenity needs me."

His mother just looked at him. She was clearly concerned but refused to say anything. In the past she had worried everyday about the well-being of her son, wondering what kind of man he'd grow up to be. Now, she was thankful he'd grown up to be such a loyal and noble young man, anything but what his father was….

Joey looked over at his mother, "I hope you don't mind if I stay-" He was interrupted by his mothers sudden embrace.

Small tears rolled down her cheeks as she held her son tightly, "You are welcome in my home anytime Joseph!"

A grateful smile graced his lips, "Thanks mom." He held her back just as tight as she held him, "And don't call me Joseph. You know how much I hate that!"

She let out a chuckle and broke the embrace, although she still continued to hold his arms, "I am your mother. I will call you whatever I please."

All Joey could do was smile.

"Now, let me get you a pillow and some blankets so you can be comfortable here," She left the room, quickly returning with a few pillows and blankets, handing them off to her son. "Have you gotten _any_ sleep?" she asked.

Joey shook his head, "I've been thinking too much."

Mrs. Wheeler sighed, "Well, there's nothing we can do to change Serenity's situation. However, we _can_ be there for her, and to do that we need _rest_. Now go to sleep."

Joey nodded and curled himself up under the blankets.

Mrs. Wheeler mentioned one last thing before she left the room, "I'm afraid there will be a lot more things changing in our lives than just Serenity's situation…."

She was about to leave the room when Joey shot up from the sofa and yelled to her, "Wait! What?"

She turned around to face her son, confusion on her face, "Didn't you hear the news? Asia and Europe have become one. We are no longer just Japan anymore, we are one country."

Joey's eyes widened, "What? When did this happen?"

"This evening. I heard it on my dinner break. It was on the five o'clock news."

Joey was dumbfounded, "So, within a matter of hours we've become just like America? One nation?"

Mrs. Wheeler's eyes fell to the floor, "Yes, and even though this is supposedly a good thing, I can't help but feel uneasy about it."

"Why did you decide to bring this up now?"

She bit her lip, eyes still focused on the floor, "I'm sorry, I just thought you already knew. I didn't know if you felt the same way or not…. I'm sorry I brought it up, go to sleep, Joey." And with that, she left leaving Joey is slight shock.

The blonde teen slowly sank back into the sofa, softly lying his head down on the pillow. His brown eyes burned holes into the white ceiling as Joey's mind raced. Why did his entire world decide to flip on him in one day? In that moment, Joey closed his eyes, finally letting his mind go, agreeing that everything had changed.

* * *

Joey Wheeler wasn't the only one who seemed to be wide-awake that night. Yugi Muto tossed and turned, his mind shuffling through the events of the previous day. He was worried for his best friend who had still yet to tell him what had happened. Yes, Yugi was concerned for Joey, but that wasn't the only thing that kept him up. The news that evening, about the union of Asia and Europe, kept the teenager tossing and turning. There was something eerily frightening about the way it all went down. It took America months to make its final decision but only hours after America's decision was made, Asia and Europe had come to its conclusion.

'_This is the most bizarre thing to be anxious about_,' Yugi thought as he rolled over in bed, '_I mean its just politics, right? Nothing more and nothing less. Just stupid politics! Politics that you have no control over_!' Even though Yugi tried endlessly to reassure himself that everything was going to be fine and that he couldn't do anything about it, there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. The nag told him that this was bad!

"Urgh!" Yugi groaned as he rolled over once again. This was too confusing. Why was this bad feeling so strong? It was times like these where he wished the pharaoh were still around. The pharaoh would keep him company when he felt anxious at night, and he would give him the best advice Yugi had ever heard from anybody. Atem was indeed his best friend.

A tear trickled down Yugi's face. Atem was his best friend, but he was gone now. "Atem…." Yugi said his name out loud, "I need you…." Yugi glanced at a photo across the room that showed a picture of Atem with Joey, Tristan, and Tea. More tears made their way onto the pillow as Yugi took in Atem's face. He was gone…. He was gone when Yugi needed him the most. His best friend, the one that he wished for, was now gone forever.

"I wish you were here, Atem. You'd know what to do." Wiping the tears from his eyes, Yugi decided he'd walk around a little bit, just to clear his head.

He made his way through the hallway, taking a quick peek at his grandfather's bedroom. To Yugi's surprise, the door was wide open; usually his grandpa shut it before he went to bed. Quietly, Yugi tiptoed over to the doorway and peered inside. His grandpa's bed was made! There was no one in the room!

"Grandpa?" Yugi quietly said, "Grandpa, are you in here?"

A minute past and there was no reply.

Bolting down the stairs Yugi checked every room in the Game Shop that was part of the house. To Yugi's disappointment, the place was empty. His grandfather was nowhere to be found.

"Grandpa! GRANDPA!"

* * *

He ran as fast as he could, adrenaline pumping through him like an injected drug. The dark forest was illuminated by the full moon, except the moon wasn't its usual color of brilliant silver tonight. No, the moon was a dazzling blood red, lighting everything as if a war had just taken place in that forest.

His footsteps became heavier and faster, his feet hitting the ground with intense force. Sweat dripped off of his face and hit the ground with a splash. His breathing became labored and thick as the forest felt humid and hot, as if the bloody moon was making everything feel warmer. Painful tears started running down his cheeks when he heard their voices and their footsteps close behind him. They were catching up to him fast and he didn't know which way to turn. Glancing behind him, he saw their dark shadows as they were on his tail, and heard them cheer when they saw him running away like a mad man.

"H-HELP!" He screamed, "SOMEONE HELP!"

Wicked laughter exploded from behind him, "There's nowhere to run!"

Looking forward, the outline of a boulder stopped him in his tracks, and the moment he turned around he felt his body freeze. He was trapped and terrified.

'_This is it_,' he thought in terror, '_I'm done for_.'

A small cackle of laughter sent tremors flowing like lightning throughout his body, "Oh, how right you are."

Uncontrollably, his hands reached up with their own free will, clasping his neck with a force greater than anything he'd ever experienced in his life.

"Now…." The voice was controlled and sinful, "Die."

"AHHHH!" Seto Kaiba jolted upright from his bed, blankets and sheets flying forward with him. Gasping for breath and wiping a small amount of sweat from his brow, Kaiba jumped out of bed. He began pacing back and forth, from one wall of his bedroom to the other, '_It was just a dream…. Just a stupid dream,_' he told himself over and over again, but no matter how many times he told himself that it was only a dream, he was never truly convinced.

A small rapping at his door made him stop in his pacing. Kaiba slowly walked over to the door and opened it.

"Are you alright, big brother?" Mokuba asked him, concern in his tired, gray eyes, "I heard you scream."

Taking a slow deep breath, Kaiba replied softly, "I'm sorry I woke you. Go back to bed." He began to shut the door when Mokuba pushed through and entered the master bedroom.

"Don't shut me out, Seto," Mokuba stated, frustration and concern mixing like storm clouds in the young Kaiba's voice, "I'm worried about you and you know that."

"Don't be!" Kaiba snapped. His eyes flashed with pain and anger. Even though it was Mokuba, Kaiba didn't like being treated as some sort of victim by anyone, especially not right now. He was tired and wanted to rest, but every time he tried those wicked nightmares would haunt him, leaving him restless, ornery, and confused.

"Seto, if something is wrong I want to be informed! Don't leave me in the dark, you know I don't deserve that!"

Kaiba stood there in angry silence. He didn't know what to say to his brother. Of course Kaiba wanted to let his brother know what was going on, yet if his dreams indicated that someone was after him, he wanted Mokuba out of the picture to protect him.

"Was it a nightmare?" Mokuba asked as frustration was replaced by compassion.

Rubbing his forehead in irritation, Kaiba replied with a simple, "Yeah."

"What should we do?"

"Nothing."

"But if these dreams have something to do with you being a waterbender-" Mokuba was cut off by Kaiba screaming at him.

"Forget it! Forget about it, Mokuba! I never should have told you about it! It's nothing! Now go to bed!"

Being the strong-willed teen that he was, Mokuba would _not_ stand here and do nothing. He was smart, and he knew that this wasn't just 'nothing.' His brother was confused and obviously fearful of something. Mokuba needed to help him sort it out, only if Seto would just let him.

"Seto, I want to help you figure this out."

Kaiba shook his head, "There's nothing to figure out, just go to bed, Mokuba…."

"Just let me help you!" Mokuba pleaded, a hint of desperate rage in his voice.

"Just go to bed!" Kaiba shouted back. He began walking to his bed.

"If you're in trouble, if something is going to happen, I want to know," Mokuba pleaded once more.

Kaiba stopped walking to turn around and look his brother sternly in the eyes, "Trust me when I tell you there's nothing to worry about. Forget about everything that I told you earlier today. Forget about what Ishizu said, forget about the nightmares, and forget about the foolish waterbending. All of it is ridiculous and non-existent. Now, this is the last time I'm saying this, _go to bed_."

"It sounds like you're trying to convince yourself none of it is true, like you're in denial."

"MOKUBA!" Kaiba barked, his shout cracking in the eerie quietness of the night. The shout surprisingly sent shivers down both of their spines. "Go. To. Bed." Kaiba hissed through clenched teeth.

Mokuba huffed, stomped to the door, and screamed, "FINE!" before slamming the bedroom door with incredible force that shook the pictures on the walls.

Kaiba grumbled and clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white and his nails almost pierced through the skin on the palm of his hand. Quickly, he grabbed a pillow that was at the end of his bed and hurled it hastily at his door. Fury made him grab another and chuck it across the room. The soft pillow hit a hanging picture on the wall, knocking the picture down, making it shatter on the floor.

Kaiba stood quietly staring at the shattered pieces of glass. A sliver of moonlight pierced through the drawn curtains, shining light on the small fragments of glass, making them sparkle. Kaiba found himself hooked to the glimmering reflection. Walking slowly towards the broken picture, the CEO bent down and picked up a scrap of glass noticing its brilliant shine in the moonbeam. Setting the piece down, he carefully scooped up the damaged picture and gazed at it. It was an old picture of his parents. Observing the picture, Kaiba sadly smiled, realizing that the picture was from before he and Mokuba were born. His father was smiling strongly in the photograph, with his arms wrapped around his mother. His father's short, black hair was groomed neatly, and his eyes were shining with a brilliant gray hue. Kaiba hadn't really recognized it before, but Mokuba looked identical to his father. Glancing at his mother, Kaiba noticed how beautiful she was, how her radiant smile seemed to light up the picture. She looked so much like Seto that it was almost unreal, with her piercing blue eyes, and brunette locks. Kaiba found himself gaping at the image of his mother for what felt like eternity. The moonlight seemed to really shine down on her picture and after a long while Seto spotted something that he hadn't noticed before. Around his mother's neck was a small chocker necklace. The necklace appeared to have a tiny blue pendant attached to it. The pendant was like a shimmering blue jewel, even in the photograph it looked as though it was sparkling in the moon's light, and it appeared to have some sort of pattern carved on it. Kaiba squinted to get a closer look, to make sure he wasn't imagining things. Sure enough! The pendant _did_ have a pattern on it, but not just any pattern….

Sprinting over to his nightstand where his laptop was, Kaiba flipped open the device and began running through the searches he had performed earlier after Ishizu had stopped by. After completing the waterbending search, Kaiba froze. Slowly, he held the picture up next to his laptop, comparing the photograph to the image on the screen. Kaiba felt like his jaw dropped two hundred feet. The pattern on his mother's necklace wasn't just a simple design. It was a symbol…. _The waterbending symbol_!

Scrolling through more images, Kaiba discovered that the necklace was a common item among water-tribe women. There was no further information on the item but just that it was old and belonged to waterbenders.

Kaiba sighed and shut his laptop down, setting the photograph down next to it. He sat down on his bed and buried his head in his hands. '_This is crazy_,' he thought, '_I must be going insane…. To believe all of this junk is just ridiculous. I don't have time for this. I have a company to run_.' Falling down on his bed he began to take deep breaths, trying to convince his mind that this was some hoax. It had to be a trick, _right_? I mean, come on, bending water was ludicrous and impossible! '_But you did it! You bended your coffee the other day! You saw it with your own eyes_!'

"Nonsense!" Kaiba yelled out loud. His mind wouldn't shut off. It was as if he really _did_ want to believe even though it was foolish. Should he believe? Was it okay to? Was all of this even real or possible? Kaiba didn't know, but what he did know was that the necklace his mother wore had something to do with some old water tribe, and he wanted to figure it out. Maybe his mother had received it as a gift? Maybe it was a family heirloom that Kaiba didn't know about. An heirloom was a strong possibility considering his birth family had taken everything away from Mokuba and him. There was for sure things that he and Mokuba didn't even know about.

Crawling comfortably into bed, Kaiba gazed upon the moonlight that shown through the gap in the blinds. There was something unnerving about the way the light made him feel. It was as if he felt physically stronger somehow. Mentally, Kaiba shook his head. This was just too much to handle. The nightmares, Ishizu's story, the coffee, and his mother's necklace were all so troubling and Kaiba thought he'd lose it; maybe he already _had_ lost it, he didn't know….

Pulling his comforter over his head to avoid the moon's light, Kaiba began to take deep breaths. He'd tried not to think about everything, but it was impossible. His mind specifically wrapped around thoughts of his mother, and that's when the deep breaths became shallow, soft, sobs.

* * *

**A/N**: I hope you are all enjoying this so far. It's a blast to write and I cannot wait until it all ties together. Sorry this chapter is so short. I needed to set it up right for the next one! Please review, and see you next chapter!


	4. The Jump

**A/N**: Wow, chapter four already! I'm pretty excited to share this chapter with you all because this is where things really start to unfold. By the way, Egyptair is a thing. Look it up. I also want to apologize for the GIANT gap of time from posting chapter 3 to this chapter. Seriously, I'm sorry. I'll try to be more on my posting game guys. So, please enjoy.

**I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH OR AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER!**

Book 1: Water

Chapter 4- The Jump

It was five-forty five when Solomon Muto reached the Domino City airport, rushing his way through the early morning crowds to get to where he needed to be. After being cleared through airport security, Solomon quickly made his way through the airport terminal. He hurried down the long hallway that led to Gate G3, the gate where Solomon would be picking up his close friend, Professor Arthur Hawkins.

After the unification of Europe and Asia into one nation, both Arthur and Solomon had decided that it would be in their best interest to meet and discuss the issue. While most people would believe that unifying countries into one large nation was a good thing, the two elderly men knew that this was the start of something dangerous. Things were about to change, and it was time to pass on the valuable information that both of the elderly men had been holding onto for so many decades.

The cheerful voice of a woman came over the loudspeaker near Gate G3, "Welcome passengers from Cairo to Domino City. Thank you for flying with Egyptair Airlines, we hope you enjoyed your flight. Please fly with Egyptair again!"

A mass of people stormed from the gate as Solomon began looking every which way for his friend, waiting almost impatiently for him to arrive.

"Solomon!"

Solomon turned towards the direction of the voice and smiled when he found who he was looking for. Arthur Hawkins was standing just a few feet away with a small carry-on bag clutched in his hand. His skin was well tanned from the African sun, and his blonde hair seemed to be even lighter than Solomon had remembered. Arthur smiled broadly at his short best friend.

"It's been way too long my dear friend!" Solomon expressed as he walked up to Arthur, giving him a warm, welcoming hug.

"Yes it has." Arthur replied, "It feels good to be back."

"I'm glad. How was your flight?"

Arthur laughed lightly, "Excruciating! I haven't had a drop of caffeine, and flying coach isn't always so glamorous."

Solomon patted his friend's back, "Well, let's get moving towards the baggage claim and then get you some coffee, it's on me."

Arthur's wrinkled face perked up, "Thank you, Solomon."

"Don't mention it."

The two elderly men made their way through the crowds of people near the baggage claim, catching up in casual and light-hearted conversation before they would get down to business. They needed to discuss the real reason for Arthur Hawkins' return to Domino.

* * *

There was a light knock on the front door of the Game Shop. Yugi stopped his pacing and ran to open the door, not bothering to check and see whom it was first. Tea stood outside, she was dressed nicely for five in the morning. Yugi was still in his pajamas, but he didn't care, he was more concerned about his grandpa. He had called up Tea right away when he realized his grandfather wasn't at home. He needed someone to help him in his frantic situation.

"You didn't have to get ready," Yugi stated, "I didn't even bother to change."

"I'm not going to run around town in my pajamas, Yugi." Tea proclaimed. She took her shoes off and the two made their way to the living room, sitting down on the sofa. "So, do you know where he went?"

Yugi shook his head, concern was splashed all over his facial features, "I'm worried, Tea. He's never left in the middle of the night before, and what if he didn't leave. What if someone _took_ him?"

Tea placed her gentle hand over his, rubbing Yugi's soft skin in a tender, caring way. She tried to smile hopefully at him before she spoke, "I'm sure he's okay, Yugi. Your grandfather might've wanted to go to the grocery store before crowds arrived, or maybe he wasn't feeling well and went for a brisk walk. Besides, how many times have you been awake at five in the morning to notice your grandpa not here? Maybe he always starts his day this early."

Yugi's eyes fell, "I don't know, Tea…. He's been acting so strange lately and I can't place my finger on it. I'm worried about him."

Scooting closer to her friend on the sofa, Tea opened up her arms and draped Yugi in a firm embrace. Yugi was somewhat shocked by this, blushing slightly in reaction, yet loosening up to hug Tea right back.

"Thank you," he whispered in her ear, as their embrace grew stronger, "I needed this."

Tea smiled, "I know you did. Everything is going to be alright, I promise." She felt Yugi nod his head into her shoulder. "Your grandpa is going to show up, alright? He'll be here before you kno-"

"Yugi? Tea?"

Both teens gasped and jumped apart.

"Grandpa!" Yugi shouted in nervous shock.

Solomon Muto and Arthur Hawkins stood in the doorway of the living room, staring at the two teenagers. Solomon's eyes were wide with a minor hint of suspicion, "What're you two doing?"

"Uh…" Tea stammered.

"We were j-just, uh…." Yugi stuttered.

Arthur, who was carrying his luggage into the living room, smiled at the situation, "So this is what he does when your gone, Solomon. Invites girls over." Arthur gave the two teens a playful wink.

They blushed. Yugi scratched the back of his neck, trying to think of how to explain. He was thankful when Tea decided to speak up first.

"Mr. Muto," She began, "Yugi woke up and called me saying that you weren't here. I arrived just shortly before you. We were just, uh… hugging."

Arthur laughed and cheerfully countered, "Yeah, likely story."

Solomon joined in on his friends laughter, "It's alright. You don't have to explain yourself, Tea. You're welcome here at any time. Thank you for comforting my grandson."

Tea nodded and smiled, "Anytime, Mr. Muto."

"Professor Hawkins! How are you?" Yugi stood up and gave the elderly man a hug.

"I'm doing fine, Yugi. How are you? You look a little taller than the last time I saw you."

Grinning widely at the compliment, Yugi replied, "I'm alright now that I know Grandpa's not missing." He looked over at his grandfather who seemed unusually cheery for five in the morning. Yugi guessed that he and professor Hawkins probably had some form of caffeine before getting home. He asked, "What're you doing here? I didn't know you were coming to visit. Grandpa didn't mention anything."

"Ah, well, this is under special circumstances." Arthur turned to glance at Solomon, who was giving him a knowing look.

"I thought you were in Egypt on an important expedition?"

Arthur nodded his head, "Oh yes, indeed I was. However," he made his way to the sofa and sat down next to Tea, "some things are just more significant than others."

"What do you mean, professor?" Tea probed.

Solomon strode over to his grandson and placed an arm around his shoulder. Glancing towards his best friend, who was sternly eyeing him back, Solomon sighed. "Yugi, please sit. There's something that Arthur and I need to discuss with you."

* * *

Two elegant, large, wooden doors opened abruptly to a wide conference room. Sunlight seeped into the room from its large windows that overlooked New York City. People quickly rushed into their designated chairs as powerful footsteps echoed throughout the room. Papers were rustled and items were quickly being picked up and organized neatly on the long, glass conference table. Eventually, every person in the room was sitting up straight in their chairs; they were quiet and still, as if they were trained to act like statues.

Strained moments past, the room was disturbingly quiet and tense. The powerful footsteps began making their way further into the room, each footstep reverberating with powerful force. The chair at the head of the table was finally filled. It turned on its axis excruciatingly slow until it finally revealed its owner.

A man, in his early forties, with facial features so sharp he could slice through stone, and eyes so piercingly blue that only a few could compare to in coldness, occupied the head of the conference room table. His hair was short, dark, and well groomed, and his posture was perfect. The only word that could truly describe the man was power.

That is exactly what he was, _powerful_. Soon, he would become the most powerful man that the world would ever see.

"Welcome," the man stated. His voice was low and cold, "let's get started."

The people around the table nodded in unison.

A man, who looked to be of Latino heritage stood up slowly to speak, he cleared his throat nervously and softly, "It has come to my attention that there have been several new Southern Water Tribe heritage connections made over the past forty-eight hours. Many of the people who have recently traced their heritage back to that tribe have only just discovered their water bending abilities."

The man at the head of the table nodded, "Have there been any descendants of the Northern Water Tribe discovered, any with bending abilities?"

The Latino man shook his head softly, "No, sir…."

The hair stood up on everyone's neck as the man at the head of the table pounded his fist into the glass. He stood up sharply and screamed, "Why present me with information that I don't need!? I don't care about the Southern Water Tribe! As long as we can take their benders for our army, I am satisfied! What I really care about is the water bender from the Northern Water Tribe prophecy!"

The room fell silent. The angry man sat back down and recomposed himself, sitting straight and tall with perfect posture. "Must I demonstrate how important it is that I receive valuable information?" He tested the room and everyone hung their heads low, refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

The man stood up swiftly, this time he began to pace the length of the room. Each footstep was like a panicky pounding heartbeat, and each person felt the petrifying sting of the noise from the steps.

"Anyone?" The man questioned, his voice was thick and firm, "Anyone at all, please feel free to share your pathetic information."

A deep swallowing sound was made by a slender, blonde woman who appeared to be in her late-twenties. She was sitting next to a younger blonde woman who appeared to be in her late-teens to early-twenties. The younger woman bore her innocent, brown eyes into the older woman. Her eyes looked pleading, as if she were begging for the older woman to keep her mouth shut. The elder blonde's eyes sunk to the floor as she stood from her seat. The younger woman's eyes widened in fear and worry, she wanted nothing more than to scream, but she bit her lip and held back.

The man stopped his pacing. He was on the direct opposite side of the conference table from the two women. He sternly looked at the woman standing, "So, former Prime Minister Iris Schmitt, what information do you possess?"

Iris Schmitt swallowed hard once more, trying to organize what she was about to say. She knew that she didn't want to tell the wicked man the truth. However, she knew the rest of the room had no new material. The only new information was the information she had, and that information was a secret she had been keeping for a long time. If she continued to withhold the secret, _he_ would kill everyone in the room. That was a risk she was defiantly not willing to take, especially not with her loved one sitting next to her. Her heart began to pound at the realization of her reality. She was about to put her life on the line for everyone here. That was a scary truth….

Carefully, she spoke, with an anxious tongue and a shaky voice, "Sir, I have information on the one spoken of in the prophecy."

The man's eyebrows perked up in a mischievous manner, his blue eyes setting ablaze, "And?"

Her head lowered, "_He_ is alive. However, the water bender does not live in America, sir."

"What?" Fury made the flames in his eyes burn brighter, "Where is _he_?"

She swallowed hard again, "In the newly joined European-Asian country."

The man's fist tightened, venom lingered on every word, "You knew of _him_ this whole time and didn't bother to tell me!?"

"I-I am sorry, sir…." Her voice shook uncontrollably.

"Why didn't you say something immediately?" His voice was hostile and wicked.

She bit her lip, refusing to respond. Fear prevented her from speaking.

Rage took over him and he smashed his fist through the glass table. The glass shattered and a large hole remained where the man's fist was. Shards of glass and blood were everywhere, and the man's hand was severely slashed. He ignored the blood and the pain and began shouting at the shocked woman in front of him, "HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN ABOUT THIS!?"

Tears escaped from Iris' eyes as she started softly sobbing, trying her best to suppress the tears and keep her composure. Taking in small gasps of air she spoke truthfully, "I've known about this my whole life."

Impressive wrath exploded from the man as his good hand drew out the blood from his battered hand. The excess blood floated in the air and moved in swift circles above the man's good hand. He was controlling the liquid as it twisted and bent to his will. With a small twitch of his fingers, the blood froze into shards of solid, icy spears.

He glared at Iris, giving her a vile smirk before saying, "When I don't get what I want…." The cold spears of frozen blood moved to aim their deadly tips towards her, "I take blood for blood."

The sunlight reflected off of the red ice shards as they spun through the air at an incredible rate. The sound of broken flesh and splattered blood was heard as the spears dug straight through Iris' chest. Her body fell to the floor in a bloody, lifeless heap. Glistening, red blood spots splashed the window like paint. The carpet slowly filled with blood, soaking in its substance.

Panic erupted and a few members of the meeting ran out of the conference room. Some were screaming, others gasping, and some stood still, froze with fear. Once a few people ran, more followed. It was the chain reaction that was the epidemic of panic.

The young blonde woman who was sitting next to Iris stood still. Fear, heartbreak, and shock flooded her being. Her mouth was agape, and her eyes were as wide as melons as she stood there, staring at Iris' limp body. Tears washed her face clean of the small bloodspots that had splattered her cheeks. She blinked rapidly to come back down to reality. Realizing that Iris was dead, she spun her head around to face Iris' murderer.

The grin on the man's face was corrupt and twisted. He looked possessed, and he was maliciously glaring at the young blonde girl. His lethal hands aimed for her.

Heart racing as adrenaline began to stream through her, like an injected drug. She quickly noticed the herd of people fleeing the scene and made a dash for the door. She fell over onto a few chairs as powerful stream of water tripped her. Rapidly, she stood up and continued her jolt for the door. Glass broke behind her and a rush of cold air blew over the office. She glanced back and saw that the man had sent a flow of water straight through the window behind her, just missing his aim for her.

'_He's trying to push me out the window_!' Her mind screamed at her, making her legs pump faster.

Office onlookers formed in clumps throughout the building's hallways, trying to get a glimpse of what was happening and why people were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. The young blonde woman pushed her way through the gathering people, running for dear life. She made a sharp turn into a separate hallway that lead to a different conference room. Bursting through the door, she abruptly thrust a large chair right through the giant glass window and, not wasting a second to look back, she jumped.

* * *

**A/N:** I know it's a tad bit shorter, and I apologize for that. I hope you all enjoyed it! Thanks for reading! PLEASE REVIEW! Reviews help me become a better writer and I really would appreciate the help on that! :)


	5. Connections

**A/N:** Hey guys! It's been too long and I'm so sorry! I love this chapter. Hopefully you guys will too. Enjoy!

**I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH OR AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER!**

* * *

Book 1: Water

Chapter 5- Connections

The night was quickly changing over to morning, but the cold air seemed to hang around for just a bit longer as it rushed through Yugi's tangled hair from a nearby window. The breeze felt like a friend, someone to cool off Yugi's warm head as he had just soaked in the information that he was an airbender.

Although Yugi had never witnessed himself participating in the act, both his grandfather and Arthur told him the truth, and without a second thought, he believed. As the air rushed over him, he could feel its embrace, its sweet caress, like it was almost saying, '_welcome_.'

"Yugi," The sound of his name brought the young man away from his musings, "I know this is a lot to take in right now, but please understand that your grandfather and I do believe that the four nations are coming together again. The prophesy, the one that I found in my travels to Australia, foretold of an airbender from the ancient airbending city of Yugi, one that would help bring peace back to the separated nations."

"But I don't get it professor," Yugi began, "the nations are all becoming one, so why would the prophecy mention separation?"

"Because of the extinction of the Avatar." Yugi's grandfather spoke, "When the Avatar ceased to exist, the nations of the world began to divide. The Avatar was the bridge between the spiritual world and the physical, and because of that, peace was kept throughout the world. With the Avatar gone, the four nations, water, earth, fire, and air, fell apart and separated into the world we've come to know."

"But since the declarations of the world coming back together, the Avatar must resurrect once again and bring peace to the world, or so the prophecy says…." Professor Hawkins placed his second cup of coffee down on the end table. "Look, I know bending is a whole new idea, but it exists. Your grandfather and I both believe that this ancient airbending city named Yugi, was named and prophesied after _you_."

"Okay…." Yugi took a minute to compile his thoughts together. He was ready to face a new thing, but right now he wasn't sure what that new thing was. "So, what is airbending?"

Professor Hawkins smiled as he dug into his carry-on luggage and found an old scroll. "Here," he handed the scroll to Yugi, "open it up and tell me what you think."

Yugi gave Tea a look before slowly unwinding the scroll. The images were faded, and water damage was defiantly visible, but the scroll was still readable.

"What're these images Professor?" Tea asked.

"They look like some sort of martial arts form," Yugi stated as his eyes scanned the old paper.

Professor Hawkins smiled, "That's exactly what they are."

"What?" Yugi questioned, "How is this supposed to be airbending?"

"The moves you see on the scroll," Arthur pointed to specific images and traced his finger around the flowing air drawn onto the page, "they are the moves conduced for proper airbending. This is how you become an airbender, Yugi."

"And how do you and Grandpa know for sure I'm an airbender? I haven't even shown any signs or skills…"

"Well, if we go off of what the prophecy says, and the recent events of the world…"

"Then we can pinpoint almost precisely what the old legend was talking about." Arthur glanced at Solomon as he finished his friend's statement.

Solomon nodded and continued, "We believe the time has come for you to learn airbending and help save the world."

"Wait a second, Grandpa!" Yugi stood up defensively. "How does any of this correlate with saving the world? I didn't even know bending existed until just now, and now bending is helping me save the world? I don't understand!? The world is just fine!"

"Yugi, calm down," Solomon said, "and listen…."

"Four prophecies have been discovered by different archeologists, one in North America, Africa, Asia, and the one that I discovered in Australia. All four legends talk about the new Avatars."

"Avatars? Plural?" Tea questioned.

Solomon nodded, "Exactly. An Avatar from each ancient nation."

"Each Avatar will come together and stop the chaos from ensuing upon our forming countries." Arthur explained, "They will bring back the proper rise of the four nations, and bring bending back into the world."

"How did bending die? If it was so popular, how come we've hardly heard anything about it?" Tea asked.

"Because a select group of people have been keeping it a secret for centuries, erasing any fraction of the Avatar, and any form of bending from history. It was only recently that I, and my collogues, came across all of this information."

"And just in the nick of time too!" Solomon said.

"Yes, trouble seems to be brewing. Chaos is rising. The new Avatars are the ones that can master all four elements and bring peace to the world." Arthur stated.

"And you think I could be one of the new Avatars?" Yugi looked shocked and purely confused, trying to suck up all of this information.

The two old men nodded.

Yugi placed a hand on his forehead, "So, let me get this straight. You think I'm the airbending Avatar? One of the chosen four people, _in all of the world_, to master all four elements and stop chaos?"

Again, the two old men nodded in reassurance.

Yugi sighed and sat down next to Tea again. Their simple nodding was enough to convert him completely. He was on board and ready to learn the steps in becoming the Avatar…. If he really was one!

Yugi felt the air flow over his back from the open window and decided he'd let time tell if that was true.

* * *

Her high heels clicked flawlessly throughout the long hallway. The sound made grown men shiver, knowing _she_ was coming. The world leaders moved aside as she entered the room. They respected her out of _pure fear_. She was impeccable and strong, something so rare in a nineteen year old that men who worked their whole lives, struggling and striving for their leadership positions, were about to give up to her.

Valerie Von Brandt was vicious, fearless, and ready to rule. When her shiny black heels stopped moving, and she placed her hands on her hips, every person in the room bowed their heads to her. She smirked wickedly, knowing she was now in control. Her Fire Nation blood, her divine right to rule, flowed uncontrollably throughout her veins.

She flipped her blonde hair behind her shoulder and stepped forward in front of the group of world leaders. Every person in the room was a former world leader of either a European or Asian country, but now the beautiful and powerful Valerie was dethroning them all. She squinted, her eyes scanning the room, glaring at each person, showing each and every one of them who was _boss_.

"Listen up ladies and gentlemen!" Her voice was robust, vibrating throughout the large gathering hall. "I'm only saying this _once_. If you refuse to listen or argue against me, then there will be consequences. Don't ask what those consequences might be, because I can assure you, you don't want to know. Now, before I start…. Are there any _questions_?" Her lips curled up into a devious smile. She was testing them. She knew they needed to be tested. They were the future of the Fire Nation.

They were like mutes. No one spoke. They knew the consequences would be grave, if not worse than that!

"Good. I'm glad you all have some common sense. Now, to discuss why I brought you all here." Valerie's tone grew more serious now. Determination dripped from her voice like raging venom.

"As you all are aware, I am the direct descendent of the old Fire Nation's royal family. Now that Europe and Asia have come together it's time to resurrect these two nations as the new Fire Nation. I will become the ruler and the new Fire Lord, however…." Valerie paused. Stress laced her voice for a mere moment as she glanced at Emperor Haru, the pervious Emperor of Japan. He gave her a knowing glance. Valerie scowled and continued, "There are a few blood relatives I need to address first before I can claim my rightful place as Fire Lord. For now, I will be crowned as The Fire Nation's Princess until these issues can be sorted out."

Valerie glared at the group of people below her. "Tonight I will be crowned Princess. Be there, or suffer the consequences." She turned around, her back towards the crowd. "You're all dismissed until this evening." The crowd dispersed quickly.

Emperor Haru walked up to Valerie's side, bowing a bit before speaking. "Wonderful speech, president, I was very intrigued."

She hissed, but continued walking. "What did I tell you about flattery, Haru? And after tonight, there will be no more emperors, chancellors, or presidents, only the Fire Nation Monarchy. Address me as president one more time and I will be sure you'll never get the position you crave in my kingdom."

Haru bowed, "I apologize."

"Enough of the small talk!" Valerie stopped walking and faced the old man, a look of severe urgency in her eyes, "What are the whereabouts of Iris and Sholeh?"

"Iris is dead."

Valerie grinned, "Good."

"You aren't going to like this part…"

The gorgeous blond squinted her eyes in anger.

"She was killed by Bloodworth."

"What!?" Valerie fumed, "That _damn_ waterbender!"

"Bloodbender actually." Haru stated, "He killed your cousin by bloodbending."

Valerie sneered, "Regardless, that leaves just one less obstacle in my way. What about Sholeh?"

Haru frowned, "You aren't going to like this either. Her status is unknown…."

Valerie's patience had finally run out. She screamed at Haru, "WHAT!?"

"The only known information is that she was at the same conference as Iris and witnessed her older sister's death. Some say she jumped out of a window that was about seventy-five stories up, but her body was never found…."

Malice spewed from Valerie, "FIND IT HARU! I trust you with an important position in my kingdom and you aren't even a bender! _And_ you failed at giving me the correct information that I asked of you! Either find her body or assume she's alive! She's part of my family after all! She won't die so easily! What do you think the Fire Nation royal family is made of, _glass_!? You want to be an essential leader in this country? Then you better shape the fuck up, Haru, or consider yourself _dead_! Got that!?"

Haru couldn't speak. He merely nodded.

"You're dismissed, Haru." Her yelling ceased, but her razor sharp words continued on. "You'll be tortured by my hand if you don't attend my initiation tonight, so I suggest you be there… unless you want to see what I have up my sleeve." She delivered a wicked smile that only the devil could match, leaving Haru standing in fear with one toss of her blond locks and the clicking of her powerful heels.

* * *

Tea had spent the night at Yugi's since they had discussed bending all night. She slept on and off and had tossed and turned too many times to count. She decided to go home at around noon and freshen up. Tea knew she'd probably end up back at Yugi's place later that day anyway. She told Yugi to call her as soon as he heard from Joey, and that she'd be right over if it was urgent.

The walk back to her house felt like forever and she kind of regretted not taking a cab but shrugged it off, the walk was good for her anyways. Since she was walking, she decided to take the scenic route and walk by the peer and the ocean side. The fresh air and ocean breeze felt amazing on her exposed skin. Mist from the ocean covered her body in a heavenly way. Even though it was November, the weather was still nice, and an ocean walk felt perfect. Tea could smell a bonfire nearby and saw a group of teens that must've started it. They were hanging around, talking, and looked as though they were having a great time.

As she continued her walk along the peer, Tea decided she'd rest and sit down on the sandy shore, maybe get her toes wet. She untied her sneakers and removed her socks, sitting just where the tide could reach her feet and no further.

She examined her surroundings for a bit, soaking in the calm sun, beautiful air, and cool ocean water. Tea began to people watch, a small guilty pleasure that she knew everyone participated in at least once in their life. Across the beach Tea observed dog walkers, couples, bonfires, fishermen, and families, all of them enjoying this beautiful November day. There was one person nearby that caught Tea's attention immediately. She had to do a double take just to be sure her assumption was correct. Sitting on a large log near the ocean's tide was the one, and the only, Seto Kaiba.

Tea blinked multiple times before confirming that it was Kaiba sitting on a log nearby. What in the world was he doing here? This didn't seem like a standard Seto Kaiba hangout spot.

Tea being Tea, decided she'd get up and approach him. She was too outgoing and friendly to skip the chance to talk to an old acquaintance. Besides, she owed Kaiba the time of day considering he saved her life during the Battle City Tournament.

She sat up and walked over to where he was. He didn't seem to notice her at all. It was like his blue eyes were lost in the dark, depths of the ocean.

"Kaiba…" Tea began.

He turned to look at her. His face looked calm, he didn't seem surprised to see her. "Hello Gardner."

She smiled, "You can call me Tea, ya know?"

He scoffed, "I'll stick with Gardner."

"Can I sit?"

To Tea's surprise, Kaiba didn't protest at all. He scooted over to let her sit on the log next to him. She quickly sat down and began staring at the blueness of the ocean, watching as the waves rolled back and forth softly.

"How have you been, Kaiba? It's been awhile."

He shrugged, "Yeah…. I've been okay… How's your group of nerd friends?"

"They're good, except… Well, Joey's in the middle of something. I have no idea what. It sounded like something with his family. He didn't say…."

Kaiba didn't say anything. He didn't care for Joey all that much and Tea knew that, so she continued talking. "And Yugi…. Well, he seems okay."

"Just okay?"

"Yeah…. Well, he's had a lot to deal with over the past couple hours, but I think he'll handle it okay."

"What's he dealing with?" Kaiba asked. His question didn't seem like one of concern or interest, but for some odd reason, Kaiba asked it anyway.

"Uh… Something you probably wouldn't um…" Tea tried the most polite way to say this without offending Kaiba. "Something you probably wouldn't have interest in."

"Bending?" Kaiba questioned. This time he took his eyes off of the ocean to look at her. Tea noticed the extreme lack of sleep in his eyes, and it kind of threw her off. She always thought Kaiba looked decently attractive, but with the lack of sleep etched across his facial features, he looked anything but attractive now.

He spoke to her quickly, before she could collect all of her thoughts. "I can see it in your eyes, Gardner. You've hardly slept. I've been dealing with the same thing, and it's all because of this stupid thing called bending. I can't quite wrap my head around it."

"Kaiba, how'd you find out about bending?"

"How did Yugi find out about bending?" He countered.

"How'd you know Yugi knew about bending?"

Kaiba smirked, "You just told me."

Tea frowned at him.

"Besides," he began, "I could tell by the lack of sleep and the look in your eyes. That's why you're _here,_ right?"

"What? What do you mean, that's why I'm _here_?" She asked, puzzled. When the heck did Kaiba get so people smart?

"The ocean." Kaiba took in a nervous, deep breath, "Call me crazy, but I felt its _pull_. Like it was calling to me, like I had a connection to it or something."

"A connection?"

"Like I can feel the ocean… I don't know, Gardner! I don't even know why the hell I'm telling you this!"

"No, no! I understand, Kaiba. I think I can feel it too. For me it's more of a safe and serene feeling, but I do feel connected to it."

"Great, so I'm _not_ going _completely_ insane." Kaiba's words were sarcastic, but there was a hint of relief in his voice.

"Kaiba, you don't believe in…. magic…. So why do you believe in bending?" Tea asked innocently.

"Because I have proof that it's real. I came here to clear my head and think through it all, but being near the ocean, feeling that _connection_, I know for sure that bending is real."

Tea was curious, "What's your proof?"

"I was bending water the other day."

"What?"

Kaiba laughed uncomfortably, "Well, it wasn't technically water, per se. It was coffee, but that crap's made from water, so I just kind of assumed."

Tea was completely hooked on Kaiba's story. "How did you know how to bend it?"

Kaiba shook his head, "It just happened. I can't really explain it."

"Well, Yugi was told he was an airbender. Actually, he was told he was an Avatar from an ancient airbending city named after him. Professor Hawkins told Yugi everything he's discovered so far on bending."

Kaiba's faced turned pale like stone and he whipped his head around to face Tea. His eyes were strained and serious, his gaze not breaking from her. "Did you say he's an Avatar from a city he's named after?"

Tea nodded. She was uneasy about Kaiba's sudden change in demeanor.

"Gardner, have you spoken to Ishizu?"

She shook her head, still nervous by Kaiba's jumpiness.

"Gardner, I think I may be going insane."

"Why?" She leaned away from him just a bit.

"I just told you everything that I've been dealing with over the past couple days, and I don't even care for you and the geek squad. To top it all off I think what Ishizu told me was right."

"So you spoke to Ishizu?"

Kaiba nodded, "She told me everything I've told you."

The two were silent for a few moments, trying to soak in what just unfolded. Kaiba randomly told Tea everything he knew about bending, which was crazy talk for Kaiba. If a pig flew in front of Kaiba's eyes he'd still deny it. Granted, Kaiba said he hadn't slept. Maybe it was the lack of sleep talking?

"Gardner, I haven't changed, I can promise you that. I've just been dealing with all of this and it's been messing with my head."

"I understand, Kaiba. You can tell me anything." Her voice was soft and comforting to him.

"Anything, huh?" He watched her short brown hair move back and forth as she nodded in reassurance.

"I think I'm an Avatar."

Tea watched as Kaiba's usual stern blue eyes, changed into a pair of desperate pleas, crying out for help.

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah, I know this seems like a strange spot to end it, but this is where I'm gonna leave it, AND YOU GOTTA DEAL WITH IT! Thank you everyone for reading thus far! I hope you all are enjoying it! Please review! Reviews help, thank you!


	6. The Whirlpool

**A/N:** Hey guys. It's been like four months and I'm so sorry. This update is long overdue. I've been having issues trying to upload this chapter for a few months now. I'm not sure what's wrong? If anyone else has had uploader issues, and knows how to resolve them, please let me know, it would be GREATLY appreciated as I would love to upload these chapters quicker! Thanks! Now, enjoy!

I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER OR YU-GI-OH!

Book 1: Water

Chapter 6: The Whirlpool

The day was quickly passing away. Seagulls still chirped. The ocean still moved. People passed by the ocean's boardwalks, talking and laughing. Everything was normal, except the way Seto Kaiba felt. He had been hanging out on that stupid log all day. He had done nothing but watch the ocean after Tea had left. She told him that she had heard some news about that stupid mutt, Joey, and had to leave immediately, but that she'd be there for him if he needed someone.

Kaiba huffed. As if _he_ needed anyone.

The young CEO lifted himself up from off the log. He had been laying on it for too long. Picking up a flat-shaped stone from the sandy beach, he tossed it at the ocean, watching as the rock skipped before sinking.

Part of Kaiba wished he were the stone. He craved to dive into the water and feel its welcome over his skin. He wanted to move swiftly with its current. He wanted to sink to the bottom and know what it felt like.

Shaking his head violently, Kaiba swore to himself. He'd never had these kinds of ridiculous thoughts before. What had just come over him? Was it the fact that he'd laid out on the beach all day for no apparent reason besides the fact that the ocean _called_ to him? Was he actually losing it?

The sunset was smeared with striking hues of pink, orange, and red, catching Kaiba's attention as he stared out into the bliss of the sky. The sunset seemed to clear his mind a bit for the first time today. What was he worried about anyway? He'd seen weirder things happen with Yugi and his group of friends. He was letting something that probably wasn't that big of a deal control his life. Lying on a stupid beach all day doing absolutely nothing wasn't the Seto Kaiba he knew. The Seto Kaiba he knew was a hard worker and _never_ lost control. He was letting his thoughts about waterbending control him.

Kaiba was about to turn away and leave the beach for good when a sudden sensation overcame him. The waves had splashed up against his shoes and he couldn't feel the water soak through them. This strange action angered him for some reason. Kaiba needed to _feel _the water, its current, its temperature, _everything_!

His body reacted without a second thought.

Stripping down to his undershirt and pants, leaving the rest of his belongs on top of the log, Kaiba slowly made his way into the cool, blue ocean. The waves wallowed up against his pants, soaking them in salty water. Kaiba smiled at the feeling, but at the same time he wondered why he was doing this. Was his connection to waterbending this strong? Did he need to test out his… _bending_?

Every fiber of doubt screamed at him. _'No! You don't need to test out something that isn't even real!' _Kaiba didn't care. The feeling was too strong. He was too connected to his element now. It was too late to turn back.

With one smooth jump, Kaiba lunged into the water, submerging himself in its presence. Everything about the ocean felt amazing. Kaiba felt at peace for the first time in a long time. He swam, deeper and deeper, resisting the small undertows. He gracefully swam along with the gentle current, feeling free and alive. Kaiba twisted and turned under the water. Such a private act that he was blessed only the fish could see. Kaiba had no idea what waterbending really was, but if being this close to the water made him feel this way, then he was happy he was a bender.

Part of him wanted to try out his skills, so to speak. Kaiba popped his head above water for just a moment to catch a decent breath, and then he was right back at it again, swimming deeper into the ocean. When he felt as though he wasn't fighting too many currents, Kaiba steadied himself and slowly opened his eyes. To his disbelief, he could see, and he could see very well! The ocean was dark due to the setting sun, but he saw some marine life still active. He figured his vision in the salty ocean was due to waterbending, considering opened eyes in salt-water burns.

Remembering the pictures of the old scrolls he had discovered on his laptop, Kaiba drew his body into the correct position to bend water. He slowly moved his arms until they formed a united, fluid motion. He could feel the water surrounding him move quickly, encircling him in a mini whirlpool. The whirlpool grew, increasing its speed around Kaiba. The beautiful cocoon of water entranced the young CEO. It flowed around him under his own control. He could feel the whirlpools whipping current all around him, making him feel so alive!

Realizing that he needed to come up for air, Kaiba swung his limbs downward to push himself to the surface. The whirlpool began to act as a propeller, lifting Kaiba closer to the surface.

A bubble of water formed at the top of the water as Kaiba came to the top for air. The whirlpool became a water jet, lifting his body above the water level and into the air. Kaiba's eyes widened as he noticed how high he was in the air. His waterbending was _real_, and _powerful_! He couldn't believe it! He was truly a waterbender!

Kaiba quickly looked up from his gaze at the water jet. He gasped when he realized that people could probably see him from the shore. This thought distracted him from his bending and the water jet disappeared, making the young CEO fall into the ocean's graceful waves. He landed in the water with a giant splash. Kaiba wondered if he should even come out from the submerged water. Embarrassment of his bending, and the awesome feeling of being able to bend made him swim in the deep ocean for just a little while longer.

* * *

"Joey!" Tea burst through the living room door of Yugi's place, running over to Joey and embracing him.

"Hi Tea," Joey replied somberly, "You smell like the ocean."

"That's because I was there all afternoon."

Yugi cocked his head to the side, observing the clothes that Tea had left his house in earlier. "You didn't go home at all?"

Tea shook her head. "No, I ran into an old friend at the beach."

"Who?" Tristan asked, taking a sip of his soda. Tristan was addicted to the sugary stuff.

"Kaiba."

"What!?" The three young males said in unison.

Tea nodded, "Yeah, he was hanging out by himself at the beach. I noticed him and walked over. We talked all afternoon. I don't think I've ever seen a more social Kaiba before in my life."

"You mean you were talking all afternoon with Money Bags!?" Joey asked in shock.

"Yeah, and at the beach no less. Doesn't seem like an ideal Seto Kaiba hangout spot to me." Tristan indicated.

Tea scratched the back of her neck, thinking of how she wanted to phrase this. "Well, he was kind of in a bit of a…" She glanced at Yugi giving him the '_we need to talk about this later' _look, "a…. uh…a pickle…."

Yugi understood what Tea meant. He had a hunch that Kaiba had discovered the same thing he had. _Bending_.

"What'd ya mean Rich Boy is in a pickle?" Joey asked, "It can't be worse than my situation right now!"

Tea shook her head, swiftly changing the subject, "What _is_ going on with you? What happened?"

The young blonde's eyes sunk to the floor. "It's Serenity…. I'm afraid the surgery she had with the money I won from Duelist Kingdom didn't work…" Tears began to form on the corners of his eyes. "Serenity is going blind, and nothing can be done about it…" Joey let the stray tears fall.

Tea cried with him, tears lightly falling down her face. "Joey…. I'm so sorry…"

"If there's anything we can do to help you and Serenity out, please don't be afraid to ask." Yugi said, placing his hand on Joey's shoulder.

"Thanks Yug, but I'm afraid there's nothing we can do but to let her go blind."

The room went silent. No one knew what to say. Everyone was shocked. It was hard to believe that Serenity would be going blind considering all that everyone had done for her to prevent her from going blind in the first place. This situation was hard for all of them, but especially Joey. Joey had learned how to duel to save his sisters eyesight. Now he was a professional duelist and his sister was still going blind. What use was an awesome duelist title if it didn't mean anything anymore?

The four best friends sat together, comforting Joey and crying.

* * *

She ran until her lungs hurt. She hitchhiked as far as she could. Took a large boat across the ocean to a different country. Then, she ran once again, feeling the endless stinging in her lungs. Only a few days had gone by since she survived the fall and travelled across continents, but it had seemed like a few weeks since then.

Sholeh Schmitt, younger sister of Iris Schmitt, had survived the wrath of Kelvin Bloodworth, the man who had ruthlessly killed her sister right before her very eyes. Sholeh knew so much about Bloodworth and how he was a wicked man. When she had found out about his election as president, she was concerned. Now, the entire western hemisphere was under his control. He would soon take over all of America, wiping out former world leaders one by one until he was the sole ruler.

Sholeh shook her head and groaned in frustration. She was shocked by how unwise her sister had been. Why would Iris stand and speak if she knew what the consequences might be? Luckily, Sholeh had escaped, but barely, and most definitely not unharmed. Sholeh's skin had been ripped to shreds by the glass window she had jumped through to escape Bloodworth. Some cuts were still bleeding. Sholeh knew she needed proper medical help, however, she was a fugitive now, a woman on the run. If anyone working with Bloodworth found out about her, they would have her killed instantly. She needed a safe place to go. Sholeh knew that Bloodworth wanted her dead due to the fact that she was next in line to become Fire Lord.

Before South and North America's unification, Sholeh was just the younger sister of the Prime Minister of Canada, Iris Schmitt. Both Iris and Sholeh carried a family line of secrets that no one else knew of besides a few. Everything was fine, until Kelvin Bloodworth had discovered their secrets. As both Sholeh and Iris had discovered, Bloodworth knew about their Fire Nation blood and wanted to rid of them and make the western hemisphere his new kingdom. Bloodworth was a descendent of the ancient Water Tribe, and he wanted total power.

Everything was coming together. The pieces were drawing in. Bloodworth was rising up the new Water Tribe. One nation down and three to go. The avatars were on their way.

Sholeh sat down on a bench on the boardwalk near the ocean. She sucked in the salty air and took a minute to think about things. She had travelled across boarders to get to where she was now. Was it safe here? Sholeh had no idea. She needed to find a place to stay, somewhere she could rest her head and not think about anything anymore.

The gorgeous, fading sunset caught her eye and she observed it in wonder. The colors had blended together so nicely; captivating her thoughts away from the confusing crisis she was in now. From the corner of her golden-brown eyes, she saw a figure out on the ocean. It wasn't a whale or a fish, but a person, _levitating_ in the middle of the ocean! A whirlpool of water surrounded the person almost as if they were…. _Bending_!

* * *

Kaiba slowly and quietly opened up the front door to his mansion. Night had fallen now, and he wanted to slip in unnoticed. The last thing he needed was Mokuba to worry about him and where he had been all day.

Like a teenager sneaking back into the house after dark, not wanting to get caught, Kaiba snuck up the stairs, tip-toeing his way to his bedroom. As he entered his bedroom and shut the door, he sighed in relief. Mokuba had not spotted him. Kaiba decided he'd worry about Mokuba's questions in the morning when he had all night to think about what he'd say to his little brother.

Just then, the lamp by his desk flicked on. Kaiba jolted around and saw Mokuba, like a grown parent, sitting in his desk chair, glaring at his older brother with firm, steady eyes, and crossed arms. The room was silent for a moment, both brothers staring at each other, one with embarrassment in his eyes, and the other with anger and concern.

"Where have you been?" Mokuba's voice was surprisingly calm for the way he looked. Kaiba thought his brother would explode at him.

"I was at the beach."

Mokuba's eyes squinted, "All day?"

"Yes… all day."

"I don't believe you!"

Kaiba grew a bit defensive, "Then ask your little friend, Gardner!"

"Tea?" The harshness on Mokuba's facial features let up, "You were at the beach with Tea?"

Kaiba nodded and crossed his arms over his chest.

"But you don't even like Yugi and his friends."

Kaiba grumbled, "She happened to find me there. We talked for a while. Nothing serious."

The harsh look on Mokuba's face came back as he continued to question his older brother. "So why were you at the beach in the first place?"

Kaiba refused to speak. He just shrugged his shoulders.

"And you didn't even tell me where you went! You just left! I called you and texted you hundreds of times! I didn't know what happened to you or if something was wrong!"

"I'm fine, Mokuba. Go to bed."

Mokuba stood up, "No! You've been acting so weird lately, Seto, I'm worried about you!"

"Don't be!" Kaiba's voice grew a bit harsher.

"Well, I am! You went to the beach all day and didn't even bother to tell me where you were going! Plus, I don't think I've ever fought with you so much than I have in the past couple of days! I'm just trying to be there for you, Seto, but you keep putting up these walls… I don't know what to do…."

"Do nothing. Everything's fine."

"How can I do nothing!? You're my brother and I love you! You're the only family I have! If something was going on with you, you'd tell me, right?"

Kaiba looked away. He didn't want to tell Mokuba anything.

"_Right_!?" Mokuba questioned again, this time more angrily.

Kaiba still refused to speak.

"Look, if this is about bending then you can-"

"It's not about that!" Kaiba cut him off.

Mokuba squinted at him, "You're lying! I can tell!"

Kaiba fumed, "No! Just drop the subject, Mokuba!"

"No!" Mokuba yelled.

Kaiba scowled at his brother, "Don't you dare test me, Mokuba!"

Mokuba ignored him, "This _is_ about bending! Seto, if you need help-"

"MOKUBA! STOP!" Kaiba shouted, "I _don't_ need help! I'm fine! Now go away!"

"I'm not going to leave you, Seto!"

Kaiba frowned, "I'm serious! All I want is to be left alone!"

Right on cue, the doorbell to the mansion went off. Both brothers blinked in confusion. Who would be ringing the doorbell to their mansion at ten at night? They waited for it to stop, to see if it would ring again. To their surprise, it did. Together, they climbed down the stairs to the front door. Kaiba peeked through the peephole to see who it was.

"Whoa! What the hell?"

Mokuba glanced at his brother's facial expression, "What? Who is it?"

Kaiba was silent for what seemed like an eternity, and then he turned to face his younger brother, giving him a confused look. "It's… it's a girl."

The doorbell rang once again, echoing through the enormous mansion.

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah, so I know this chapter is shorter, but I gotta stop right there and give you guys a bit of a cliffhanger. Thanks for reading so far everyone! Please review! Thanks. Until next time!


	7. Healing

**A/N:** Onto the next chapter! Enjoy!

**I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER OR YU-GI-OH!**

* * *

Book 1: Water

Chapter 7: Healing

"Mokuba, she looks hurt. Get the maids right away!"

"Should I call a medic?" Slight panic rose in the young mans voice.

Kaiba shook his head, "Just get the maids, quickly!"

Mokuba ran off down one of the long Kaiba Mansion hallways.

Seto Kaiba wasted no time in swinging the large French doors open at this point. He knew this girl looked to be in rough shape and needed help. Kaiba wasn't typically one to help people, especially unwelcomed guests. However, today was different, and it had created a huge impact on Kaiba and his thoughts. Today may have changed him for the rest of his life.

Once the doors flung open, the wounded girl looked up at him, helplessness imprinted within her golden-brown eyes. She looked to be around Kaiba's age, maybe slightly older than Mokuba. "Are you a waterbender?" Was the first thing she asked.

Stunned, Kaiba just stood there staring at her for a moment. He quickly changed the subject. "You're hurt. Get inside."

She didn't step in right away; she continued to ask questions, "Are you associated with Kelvin Bloodsworth?"

"No…." Confusion crossed Kaiba's face, "I mean, I know _of _him, yes, but I'm not associated or affiliated with him in anyway."

At this comment, the girl stepped forward, making her way into the mansion. Mokuba appeared at the end of the hall with two maids at his sides. They rushed up to the strange girl and began addressing her visible wounds.

"Why don't we go sit you down, miss," One of the maids said, "then we can look further into your injuries."

The girl turned to Kaiba, "Or you could heal me?"

Kaiba scoffed, "What the hell do you think I'm doing? I've provided you with my services."

"No, you haven't."

The maids, Kaiba, and Mokuba all stopped in puzzlement and looked at each other. A hint of concern and bafflement was carved onto their faces.

"My dear," One of the maids began, "You must've bumped your head. Let's go lay you down." The maids began to pull her in the direction that they wanted her to go, but she whipped her arms and body away from them and stood towards Kaiba.

"This'll go much faster if you heal me yourself."

Kaiba just stood there with crossed arms and a look of anger on his face. How dare this street rat come into his home and demand things of him! He refused to speak with her. She was the maids business now.

When the girl realized that Kaiba wasn't going to speak, she continued to press him. "You're a waterbender. I saw you bend the ocean. I know you can use your bending to heal me. My wounds will heal much faster than if a doctor tried to heal them."

Mokuba glared at his older brother, "So, that's what you were doing at the ocean all day, practicing your bending, _and_ you _lied_ to me about it!"

"Not another word, Mokuba!"

"Don't tell me what to do! You're not dad!"

"Look!" The girl snapped, breaking the brothers feud. She pointed a stern finger up in Kaiba's face. "I saw you waterbend. You can try and deny it all you want but we all know that you are a bender. Now please, this will go by much faster if you use your waterbending to heal me."

Kaiba snapped, shoving her finger away from his face and moving his face closer to hers. "I will NOT heal ANYONE!" His voice was booming and reverberated throughout the mansion.

She did not back down. She challenged him with severity and grace. She was unafraid of the one and the only, Seto Kaiba. "FINE!" She shouted back at him. "If you refuse to heal me then I am leaving!"

"FINE!" Kaiba yelled back at her.

Her face scrunched in rage, she had to have the last word, "FINE!" She began to stomp out, but Mokuba ran towards her and grasped her wrist, stopping her from leaving.

"Wait!" He pleaded, "Everyone please calm down, okay?"

Kaiba scowled at him and the girl loosened her wrist from Mokuba's grip.

"Look," Mokuba turned to her, "you need proper medical attention. I will not let you leave hurt. If I have to, I will bring you to the hospital myself. I just can't let an injured person walk into my house and let them leave unattended to."

The young CEO rolled his eyes and sighed. It was just like his brother to be super nice to strangers, something that Kaiba always wished he could do, but never could bring himself up to do so. He had an extremely hard time trusting people.

Mokuba turned to his brother with pleading eyes. "Seto, now please! If you truly are a waterbender, and if it will quickly help her out, then _please,_ do what you can!"

Kaiba stared at the girl and Mokuba for a long moment. He didn't know what to do, but he had to accept his brother's pleas. It was in his nature.

A heavy sigh escaped his throat, "Fine. However, I don't know the first thing about healing using my waterbending."

The girl smirked. She was happy that he finally admitted to being a waterbender. She knew he eventually would. "Well," she smiled at the brothers, "first things first. You need water."

Kaiba turned to the maids. "You heard her. Get us some water."

Like lightning, the maids quickly flew down the hall to fetch some water.

Mokuba turned to the girl, "Are you sure you want this, and are you sure you're okay?"

She nodded in assurance.

"Who are you?" Kaiba asked. It was more of a demand than a question.

She cocked her head to the side in sly way, "How about you heal me first, then I'll tell you all about who I am."

Scoffing, Kaiba rolled his eyes, "You know what, I don't even care that much anyways. I have a company to run. I don't have time to listen to your pathetic life story, nevertheless, heal your sorry ass so you can get out of my house." He glared her down. His icy eyes like daggers. Hers seemed to match his in a way. They were fierce and piercing. Kaiba continued with his rant, "I'll heal you, then get the hell out of here."

The Kaiba brothers and the girl made their way to the living room, sitting down on one of the leather sofas. The maids rushed in with a large basin of water and some towels, setting them next to Kaiba on the end table. They moved to the side, gazing on to see what their employer would do.

Kaiba reached for a towel, but a hand stretched out and stopped him. She shook her head, "All you'll need is your bending." She rolled up her sleeves a bit, preparing for Kaiba to heal her. Shards of glass poked through her skin every which way. Blood had dried and dripped down her arms. Her hands were covered in bruises and cuts.

"How am I supposed to heal you with all of that glass stuck in there?"

"Just bend it out."

"I'm not a glassbender!"

She laughed. The sound was cheerful and light-hearted. "No, use the water."

Kaiba groaned, "Whatever."

Placing his hands above the basin, he slowly began to extract the water from it. On Kaiba's command, the water lifted completely out of the basin and levitated in the air.

He turned to face her, "Now what?"

She shrugged, "I'm not a waterbender!"

"I thought you knew what I was supposed to be doing!?"

She shook her head, "No! I thought you'd be able to figure it out, ya know, being the avatar and all."

He narrowed his eyes, closely examining her, "How did you know that?"

"I thought you didn't want to hear my life's story."

Kaiba snarled at her, angry with her canny remark. He removed his focus from her and concentrated on the water that was still floating in mid-air. Moving it slowly, he let the water hover over her wounds before finally letting it drop. The water began to glow a bright blue color as Kaiba moved the fluid in a gracefully motion up and down the length of the girl's arms. He had focused and thought about wanting to heal her and it happened! Kaiba was pretty amazed with himself.

"Wow!" She observed, "I'm impressed! That's a very high-level waterbending skill, and clearly you haven't trained. I honestly didn't think you'd be able to do it!"

"Well, if you didn't think I'd be able to do it then why did you press me to heal you in the first place?" Kaiba's words were sour.

She shrugged, "I don't know…. Entertainment I guess, and because it takes less time to get the glass out this way."

"If you don't mind me asking," Mokuba piped in, "what did you do?"

"Jumped out of a window." Her voice became flat.

"What? Why?" Mokuba asked.

She grew somber, "It's…. Kind of a long story…."

Kaiba lifted the water in the air, the glass shards floated around in it, along with streaks of blood. "We have time," he said to her before turning to his maids, "get me a disposal bucket for the glass." Both maids dashed out of the room.

She was hesitant at first, not wanting to speak, feeling like she couldn't trust these strangers. In the back of her mind however, she knew that this man was one of the avatars and eventually she'd have to trust him.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips. Her eyes became serious. "I'll tell you everything, but you have to promise me," her eyes were pleading with them now, "that you won't betray me. I need support."

Mokuba spoke with confidence in his voice. He wasn't going to let her down, that was just his nature. "We promise! You have our word, uhhhh…." He was looking for a name.

"Sholeh. Sholeh Schmitt."

* * *

That evening, Tea slept over at Yugi's place. Neither of them were able to sleep however, as both were consumed in talking about Joey's personal situation.

They sat on the bench outside the Game Shop, breathing in the cool November night. The breeze was surprisingly warm and comforting. The night sky glistened down upon them, and the moon lit up the street well, along with the help of the streetlights.

"Tea, do you think Joey and Serenity will be alright?"

She nodded, "I do, Yugi. I think this is all a bit shocking, but I believe something good will come of it."

He cocked his head to the side, "How can you say that? You saw the pain within Joey! He's not okay, and I don't think he will be."

Tea shrugged, "I guess I can't say that for sure, but think about everything that just happened. The world is changing, new nations are forming, and you are the apparent avatar of one of those new nations. Yugi, you're an airbender, and the leader of all the airbenders!"

"But how can I be an avatar, nevertheless an airbender if I've never tried?"

"Maybe it _is_ your time to try. Professor Arthur did give you those airbending scrolls…."

"That's true…." Yugi gazed at the stars for a moment, pondering how life can change so quickly, realizing that he was now responsible for saving the world and leading a nation instead of Atem. This was his time now, and he needed to grasp that and take control of his own destiny.

"Kaiba's an avatar too. Ishizu told him, and he told me about it on the beach."

"Well, it makes sense. There are supposed to be four of us. One for each element."

Tea nodded, "Yeah, and I think Kaiba's the waterbending avatar. He was telling me how connected he felt to the ocean."

"You didn't see him bend though?" Yugi asked.

She shook her head, "No, unfortunately. It's funny. We've been talking about bending so much, but I've never even witnessed someone bend before."

Yugi chuckled, "Yeah! Same! And _I'm _the _avatar!_"

They laughed. These moments were special for them. Yugi and Tea were the best of friends and these moments regrettably came rarely. Yugi had always wished he could spend more alone time with Tea. He hoped Tea wished for the same thing.

She changed the subject, turning to face Yugi. "Kaiba told me he had a deep connection to the ocean and the water, and… well…. I feel like I have that connection too."

Yugi grew serious. "What're you saying, Tea?"

She shook her head, her brown locks tossing every which way, "I don't know!" She groaned in pained by all that was happening. "Maybe I'm just overthinking all of this? I really don't know…. But if Kaiba is a waterbender and has the same connection to water as I do… then… maybe I'm a…waterbender too?"

Yugi placed his hand on her shoulder in a comforting way, "Maybe you are, Tea, and with the strength you have, I wouldn't doubt you are."

"You don't think I'm crazy for thinking that way?"

He shook his head firmly, "Absolutely not."

She gave him a genuine smile, "Thank you, and, Yugi, I promise you, we'll figure out all of this bending stuff. I'm not quite sure what your role as the avatar is yet, but I am sure it will reveal itself to you."

"Me too, Tea. Thank you."

They smiled at each other, both thinking of how lucky they were to have one another.

* * *

"Aren't you related to the Prime Minister of Canada?" Mokuba asked.

Sholeh frowned, a bleak look upon her face, "Yes, I was her younger sister…."

"_Was_?" Kaiba questioned as the maids brought him a bucket for the glass shards, setting it next to where he was healing Sholeh. He bended the glass straight into the bucket and picked right back up from where he left off.

Sholeh's eyes dropped to the floor. The look on her face made the Kaiba brothers sympathize with her. "Yeah…. Kelvin Bloodsworth killed her recently…. Right in front of my eyes…. There was nothing I could do…." Tears began to well up in her gorgeous golden-brown eyes.

Mokuba placed a hand on her knee, empathizing with her, "I'm so sorry, Sholeh. If there's anything we can do, please let us know."

"Your hospitality has been enough… But really, there's nothing you can do. She was all I had left, and now Bloodsworth is chasing after me. I'm a woman on the run."

"Why is he chasing you?" Kaiba probed.

"Bloodsworth wants all of the former North and South American leaders dead that aren't vocally on his side. He pretty much is the ruler of America now, and he wants me dead." She looked straight into Kaiba's piercing blue eyes. Complete seriousness took over. "He's a dangerous waterbender. Be careful. He's after you too."

Kaiba furrowed his brows, "Why me?"

"Because you're the waterbending avatar. The one who will bring back the rise over the water tribes. Bloodsworth wants you dead because he wants to be the one to bring the waterbending tribes back, and because he wants to be the supreme ruler of all the nations. He's starting with the Water Tribes though."

"Why did he kill your sister if he's after you?" Mokuba asked.

"Because we are the direct descendants of the Fire Nation Royal Family."

"So does that mean you're a firebender?" Kaiba asked indifferently, as if he wasn't interested in her story all that much. What she said next made him change his level of interest.

"Yes, but I'm not just a firebender. I'm the firebending avatar."

* * *

**A/N:** Did that throw everyone for a loop? I hope so! And now a cliffhanger hahaha! Thanks for reading! Please review! Until next time!


	8. The Princess and Her Helper

**A/N:** Back again… It's been too long…. Again…. As usual…. But I'm still here! Hooray! I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far! If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask.

**I DO NOT OWN AVATAR OR YU-GI-OH!**

Book 1: Water

Chapter 8: The Princess and Her Helper

* * *

The water that was healing Sholeh felt refreshing on her skin. Her wounds had been aching for a while and she needed relief. She was grateful she had found another avatar but worried about their future. Anything could happen at this point and it was only a matter of time before something would happen.

"You're an avatar?" Kaiba stated, "That's how you knew I was?"

"I knew you were an avatar because I know you're Seto Kaiba, the infamous CEO of Kaiba Corp., and the only person I can think of with the name Seto."

Kaiba let out a laugh, "Oh please! There are more people with the name Seto. You're delusional!"

Sholeh chuckled at him, "Considering I saw you waterbend in the ocean…. Pretty sure you're the Seto of the ancient waterbending city. The one who'll bring balance back to the waterbending tribes."

Mokuba decided he'd asked questions, seeing as his brother was getting nowhere with her. "So, how do you know about all of this avatar and bending stuff, ya know, besides being an avatar yourself?"

Sholeh politely smiled at him. She liked Mokuba Kaiba; he wasn't a dick like his older brother. She cleared her throat before explaining. "For centuries, the Fire Nation Royal Family has passed down the secrets of bending and the tales of the avatar. You see, the avatar disappeared thousands of years ago, along with most benders, but now four different avatars will arise, and so will new benders. Balance needs to be brought back into the world, and the last four avatars _ever_ are going to do that. After your brother and I pass, the legacy of the avatar will be gone, but benders will live on, ushering in a new bending era to the world."

"So, usually there was only one avatar?" Mokuba questioned.

Sholeh nodded, "Yes! Darkness from thousands of years ago had chased out the spirit of the avatar, but the avatar's spirit had promised to return in four forms, one of each element. That's why there will be four avatars instead of one. But…" Sholeh looked Kaiba seriously in the eyes; "our jobs will be harder than most avatars before us since we will be the very last avatars. That's why it's important to bring balance back, because we only have one shot at this."

Her words sent a slight shiver down Kaiba's spine. If she was right about all of this, then Kaiba really had no idea what he was getting himself into. He adjusted his gaze away from hers. He couldn't bring himself to face her. There was something about what she'd just told him that made him… _afraid_… and Seto Kaiba was hardly ever _afraid_….

"People who know the same information as I do will be after us, trying to kill us. The Fire Nation has waited for this very moment, for the rise of their nation, and so have other leaders, but they will be powerful benders, trying to bring us down."

"Just like Kelvin Bloodsworth?" Mokuba asked.

"Exactly like Kelvin Bloodsworth," Sholeh confirmed.

Kaiba remembered her words early, how she questioned him about Bloodsworth before entering his home. He wanted to know more. "What did he do to you, besides what happened to your sister, to make you so afraid of him?"

"He tried to kill me. That's why I jumped out of a window."

"How'd you live?" Mokuba asked.

She smiled, a cocky look upon her face, "I'm a master firebender."

"Master?" Kaiba questioned.

"Yep! That means I've mastered the element. I've been training since I could walk. I am the heir to the Fire Nation throne after all."

"Meaning?" Kaiba questioned.

"_Meaning_ I'm the next Fire Lord, ruler of the Fire Nation."

Mokuba smiled brightly, "Does that mean you're a real-life princess?"

Sholeh shrugged, "Yeah, technically…."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes, "What'd you mean by _technically_?"

"Since Iris, my sister, is dead, I'm the next in line…. _But_…."

"_But_ what?" Kaiba asked. Unknowingly, he yanked out a rather large chunk of glass from a sensitive place on Sholeh's arm.

"Ahhhh! Shhhhhh!" She winced in pain, "What the hell!?"

Blood was quickly oozing out of her opened wound. Kaiba swooped up the blood with a swish of water, before the blood could drip onto the carpet or any valuables. He began healing the spot intently, "Not my fault you decided to jump out of a building. Don't blame me for your pain."

"Asshole…" She whispered under her breath.

"But…"

Sholeh looked up at him, "What?"

Kaiba gave her a hidden smirk, a rare one that only she was blessed to see, "I'll admit, I've jumped out of a few windows myself, so I feel your pain."

She just stared blankly at him for a while, not knowing what to think. Did he just sympathize with her or mock her? Maybe both?

"_But_…." He said again.

"_But_ what?" She asked.

"_But _is where you left off in your story. You're the next in line…. _But_…."

Sholeh laughed, "Wow! I can't believe it!? Seto Kaiba is actually _interested_ in one of my stories! This is too great!"

Kaiba huffed, "Are you going to continue or not? I need some form of entertainment while I heal your pathetic ass, and unfortunately, your damn story is all I've got right now."

Sholeh rolled her eyes, "Oh _whatever_! There's a TV on the wall behind me! If you really needed other entertainment besides me, you could flick that stupid thing on. Just admit it, you're interested in what I have to say."

"Not at all, I just think TV is an even worse form of cheap entertainment than you."

"I'm surprised you haven't been punched in the face more often Mr. Kaiba."

He smirked, "And who says I've ever been punched in the face?"

She smirked right back, "Then please, let me do the honors." She moved to roll up her sleeve, but Kaiba's healing process stopped her.

"I'll let you have a swing at me when you're healed and when you've finished your damn story."

He had a point and Sholeh knew it. "Okay, fine. I can live with that. You'll be great target practice."

Kaiba chuckled at her comment. He was getting quite the kick out of this spunky woman. She seemed to have a great head on her shoulders, and Kaiba briefly let his walls down just to soak that in.

"So, you're a princess?" Mokuba butted in.

Sholeh nodded, "Yeah, but like I said before, it's complicated. You see, I have extended family that really wants to rid my side of the family from the throne, and even though that is treason, there isn't anything I can do. The Fire Nation isn't fully established yet, and my sister, who would've been the Fire Lord, is dead. I'm on the run… there's nothing I can do… My extended family is just too powerful. If she builds up the Fire Nation, she'll claim full control with no regard to the fact that the crown doesn't rightfully belong to her."

"Who is this extended family? This _she_?" Kaiba questioned.

"That extended family is my cousin."

"Wait, you're going up against _one_ other person? That's it? It should be no problem for you to reclaim the Fire Nation; you're a master firebender and an avatar! There's no way anyone can beat you!" Mokuba eagerly exclaimed.

Sholeh sent him a slight smile, "Oh, if only I had your optimism, but it just isn't that easy… You have no idea what my cousin is capable of and the allies she has. I have no one…."

"That's not true," Kaiba whisked away the last bit of glass from her wounds, dumping the remains in the dirty bucket. He formed the water around his hand like a glowing blue glove. Noticing the scratches on her cheek, he gently cupped it, letting the water heal the marks. He looked into her eyes intently, not breaking the gaze for anything, "Sholeh, you have _us_."

* * *

Everything was perfect and went according to plan. Valerie Von Brandt was officially the Fire Nation's royal princess. The ceremony was flawless; the guests behaved perfectly, no one made a fuss. Valerie was the established ruler of the Fire Nation for now. No one was going to stand in her way, no one except her pesky cousin Sholeh….

Valerie growled. She would become Fire Lord one way or another, she just needed her cousin dead, and then the Fire Nation would be hers completely. After that, the other nations would be under her control. She would recreate Fire Lord Sozin's dream of uniting the world, and it would all be hers!

She sat in her throne room of her new palace. When first becoming chancellor of Germany, she had a building established, eventually to be used as the Fire Nation royal palace. Her thrown room was exquisite, with the finest pieces of art, stone, and gold from all over the world. There was no place better than this palace. Soon, the world would know of the Fire Nation and idolize the palace and all its glory.

She was positioning herself to meditate, when a royal guard addressed her.

"Your majesty," He bowed, "Your High Nobel is here to see you."

"Let him in."

The heavy, elegant, and enormous throne room doors opened as the former Emperor Haru walked in, along with a young woman by his side. They knelt at the presence of their new princess.

"Your highness, as your High Nobel, I am here to present you with an…. old friend," Haru glanced at the young woman next to him. She gave him a nod, her wavy black hair bobbing as she did so. She rose with grace and fearlessness, stepping toward the princess without hesitation.

Valerie smirked, "It's been a long time, Maja."

"Yes," Maja smiled, her eyes gave off a devious, chestnut-glimmer, "it really has, Val." Maja bowed slightly before giving her long-time friend a hug.

Valerie embraced her with elegance. "What've you been doing for all these years?"

They separated, but kept each other at arms length. Maja grinned, "Oh, you know, same old, same old…."

Valerie cackled, "Killing world leaders and covering up your tracks?"

Maja nodded, "You got it!"

"Well, I hope you're getting decent pay…."

Maja smirked, "You'd be surprised."

"I hope you're not here on a mission to kill me. I know how betrayal runs in your business," Valerie whisked her hair out of her face, showing no fear.

Maja chuckled, "Just because I'm the top assassin in the world doesn't mean I'd have the heart to kill my best friend! I'm not that cruel!"

Valerie snickered with her eyes, "I sure hope not."

The two laughed before sitting down together.

"I'm fortunate my best friend is in the assassination business…. I have an important mission for you, and I'm guessing that's why Haru brought you here in the first place."

Maja nodded, "That's exactly why. So, what do I owe the pleasure of serving the most powerful leader in the world?"

Valerie placed a hand on Maja's shoulder, "I need someone dead."

Maja grinned mercilessly, cracking her knuckles ruthlessly, "You name it, and you got it."

* * *

Serenity Wheeler's vision had been leaving her for a while. Slowly but surely her vision depleted. Sooner rather than later, it would be gone completely. The doctors had tried to do all they could to save her eyesight, but it was no use. She was going blind, and nothing could be done.

Her family had tried their best to comfort her, but she still felt empty from something she had grown so accustomed to. This was her fate, and she needed to come to terms with it, but that was hard, especially for Joey. Joey had worked his ass off trying to prevent her from going blind, but even his hard work couldn't save her now.

For the past several weeks, Serenity had been having these dreams, where she could 'see.' The vision she could 'see' out of wasn't her eyes, however, it was the earth. She could feel and 'see' more than she ever could with her eyesight, but Serenity didn't know what to make of these dreams. She would wake up with crappy, diminishing vision, but go to bed and dream of a supernatural sight that was unlike anything she'd ever felt before! Part of her wished that after her eyesight was gone completely, that she would be able to 'see' the way she did in her dreams.

Serenity flicked through the evening news. She noticed a lot of news channels were talking about the new countries being established and the rise of benders, people with the ability to bend the elements. Serenity decided she'd listen.

"_People known as 'benders' have been rising up all over the world since the coming together of nations. These so called 'benders' have the ability to bend the elements to their will. Apparently, this skill has been around for thousands of years, but only now is it being rediscovered. Some think it has to do with the rise of the four nations of Water, Earth, Fire, and Air._"

The announcer chatted on as Serenity listened more intently.

_"__Moments ago, we were told that world leader, Kelvin Bloodworth, has announced his rule over the 'Water Tribe,' which was once North and South America. People seem to be supporting him greatly, along with people who have discovered their abilities to 'waterbend.' Also, earlier today, former Chancellor of Germany…."_

* * *

_"…__Valerie Von Brandt, who helped to unite Asia and Europe, was crowned the Fire Nation's Princess. She has also announced that the areas of former Asia and Europe will be known as the Fire Nation. Von Brandt has also announced herself as the sole leader of this country and that she will gain full control after she has been crowned Fire Lord. It is unknown of the support she has over this country, but so far the citizens of the now Fire Nation seem to be handling this well. Overall, Valerie Von Brandt has majority support-"_

Sholeh flicked off the Kaiba's TV and hung her head in her hands. She shook her head in despair and let a few stray tears fall. What was she going to do? Now that Valerie was in control, she'd surely be killed. She needed to get out of Fire Nation territory, and _fast_!

She rose from the Kaiba's living room couch. Thankfully, both of the Kaiba brothers had left the room to attend to some sort of Kaiba Corp. business. They had let her stay and recover from her healing for a bit. Mainly, Mokuba didn't want to say goodbye just yet. Unfortunately, Sholeh was going to have to let him down.

She pulled herself together and attempted to leave the living room as quickly as possible. Rushing towards the front door, she looked back, making sure no one was around. She turned the corner into the foyer and was stopped by none other than Kaiba who was walking down the stairwell.

"Leaving so soon?" Cynicism dripped from his voice like a contagion.

"Uh, yeah," She stuttered, "I have s-some s-stuff to attend to. I gotta go!"

He got to the end of the stairs and swiftly made his way to her before she could slip away. "What? No thank you? I let you into my_ humble_ abode and heal your pitiful ass, and I don't get any gratitude?"

At this point, Sholeh was panicking and did _not _have time for Kaiba's harassment. Knowing Valerie, someone or something was probably already after her and they could all be in danger. A thank you to Kaiba would be letting her run for her fucking life!

"Look, Kaiba, thank you, but now is _not_ the time. I _have_ to go! I'm sure I'll see you again and be able to properly thank you, but for now I really have to get outta here!"

As she turned away, Kaiba grasped her wrist, "Where are you going to go? You're on the run."

She whipped her hand away, "Exactly!" She was about to make a run for it when Kaiba's right-hand man, Roland, came into the foyer with urgency.

"Mr. Kaiba!"

Kaiba frowned, "What is it, Roland?"

"One of the mansion's guards has been gunned down! We just found his body!"

"What!?" Panic danced across Kaiba's deep, blue eyes.

"I didn't hear a gunshot!" Sholeh imputed.

"We believe whoever shot down the guard was carrying a silencer," Roland replied.

"Call the police at once!" Kaiba demanded.

"We're already on it sir! They said that we need to get all residence and staff out of here immediately!"

"Then what are we waiting for!?" Sholeh fumed.

"Seto!" Mokuba came running down the hall, gasping for air. He had a frightened look in his eyes. "We have company!"

From down the hall, the sound of shattering glass was heard, followed by a gunshot. This time there was no silencer. The intruder wanted to be heard.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading and please review! Reviews are like tasty chocolate chip cookies!


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